The address had been printed right there on the invitation to the surprise birthday party. My husband, John, had been to their house before, so “no problem”.
On the way to the party, we stopped at the grocery store to pick up our assigned contribution. As John climbed from the car to make the purchase, he said, “Maybe you could put the address in the GPS. It was a little bit hard to get to their house”. Dutifully, I entered the destination into the trusty navigation system.
As we drove, John made comments about “I’ve seen this before” and “I remember this”. Following the directions from the female voice emitting from the car, we turned south one more time. Again, it looked familiar to John.
Then the words, “Turn right at the next intersection and destination is on the right”.
We turned right, but John was arguing all the way. We pulled to the right of the street…and just sat there.
“This is not right. They don’t live here. Are you sure you put the right address in the GPS?”
Of course I was sure. But I checked again. The address on the screen exactly matched the address on the invitation.
“Well, it must be broken. I’ll just have to look for it myself.”
For the next 15 minutes we went in circles. Just when he thought he knew where their house was, the right street did not materialize. Finally, in frustration, he said, “Just call them”.
I happened to have their phone number…right there on that all-important invitation.
“Ginger, this is Joy. We are trying to find the party, but can’t seem to get to the right street. Could you help us?”
As she gave me directions, I spoke them aloud so John could follow them. Soon we were driving down the very street the GPS had taken us. Then Ginger said, “Turn right at the next intersection. I’ll send someone out to the street to show you where to park”.
We turned right. There, in the exact same spot that John had declared “This is not right” stood a lady, motioning for us to park across the street.
A very puzzled John parked as directed and we climbed from the car.
The party was NOT at their house. Since it was a surprise, it was a few blocks away in a park-like area hidden behind some homes. If we had only trusted the GPS, we would not have been late.
Many times in my life, I’ve thought I knew exactly where I was going. Sometimes I had been there before, so “no problem”. But my personal GPS system (God) had a different plan. Following His directions, I’ve turned the corner, arguing all the way, and declared, “This is not right”. Then I have proceeded to go in circles until exhausted and frustrated I finally turn to the all-important invitation…the Bible…and call on Him for directions. Invariably He takes me right back to the spot where I decided I knew better than He did.
We can always trust His GPS. It is never broken.
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