Who’s Navigating?

So today I was taking my kids to the dentist. My “almost” eleven year old – his birthday is in eight days so that “almost” is very important to him – was sitting behind me watching closely where we were headed. I took a different way then usual and from the back seat I heard, “Um, Mom…I don’t think we’re headed the right way.”

Well, of course, I assured him that we were – indeed – going in the right direction. A few minutes later, after another turn, he spoke back up. “Um, Mom? I’m pretty sure the dentist office is back there.”

I assured him, again, that we were headed in the right direction. Not even thirty seconds later he piped up. “Okay, Mom, but I’m pretty sure that was the dentist office at the last corner.”

By now, I was slightly frustrated and somewhat humored by his complete and utter lack of trust in me. “Corydon, do you really think that I – the person who has lived in this town my entire life and gone to this dentist since before you were born – really doesn’t know where I’m heading? And that you do?”

Now, if I had the time, I would have let him take control. I would have let him tell me what turns to make, when to stop and when to go – simply to prove to him that he didn’t know where he was going, even though he’d convinced himself otherwise. But, he had an appointment to make and it was my responsibility to get him there. And sure enough, when we made that last turn and could see the dentist office in the distance, he laughed. “Ohhh, okay, you did know where you were going.”

How often do we do this with God? How often do we look at the scenery around us and convince ourselves that God has us pointed in the wrong direction, that our destination is back there and He’s taken us past it…missed it all together. All the while, God is just taking a different way, trying to get us to our appointment on time, and taking the road He knows is best. If we’d only sit back and trust Him, rather than fighting him the entire way only to wind up saying…”Ohhh, okay, you did know where you were going.”

Trust in the LORD with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
Proverbs 3:4-6

Trust Him. Seek Him. He knows exactly where you’re going and when you need to be there. You won’t be late and you won’ t get lost – not with His navigational skills.