Finding Direction

One of the joys of my life is taking my grandchildren on a special trip each summer. We have taken most of our trips with three or more of the six boys, but we added our four year old granddaughter last year. In addition to Nana Camps, for their graduation. I took the two older boys on separate trips to Europe for a seven day cruise and a few days in Rome.

On the last day of my oldest grandson’s trip, we took a bus tour of Rome to see what we might have missed. It was a rushed day because they changed the itinerary at the last minute, but we were able to see most of the famous landmarks.

Our guide took the group to the square and gave us a specific time to be back. My grandson and I ran a few minutes late, and the group had disappeared. We were stranded in the center of a city where no one spoke our language, and all our belongings were on the bus which had left us.

To say it was stressful was an understatement. Two people who had not spoken a cross word to each other in ten days were suddenly at each other’s throats. We both had an opinion about where we were supposed to meet the group, and neither proved correct. My grandson ran back to where the bus let us off, but it was not there. Nor, was it where I thought it would be.

Tempers flared and in our frustration, some angry words were exchanged. Finally, I snapped, “You would never talk to your dad that way.”

I will remember his reply until the day I die. “My dad would not be lost!”

There was no arguing with that statement. His dad would have mapped out every step and would never have been lost. He would have even had an alternate plan or two in case of an emergency.

Our story had a happy ending. We found a bus driver who spoke enough English to connect us with our bus, and eventually,we had a great story to tell.

But, all good stories have a moral. It struck me if that is true of an earthly father, how much more true is it of our Heavenly Father. God knew us before we were born and has plotted our steps since before our first breath. If we seek His direction in our lives, we can be certain, “My Father is not lost.”

In our darkest moments, God provides a light for our steps. He is only a prayer away. While his answer is not always what we would choose, we are told over and over in His Word of His great love for us. He cares too much for His children to leave them lost and alone.

Not all of us have been blessed with an wonderful earthly father as my grandson has been. However, regardless of our circumstances, we can be assured our Heavenly Father will never fail to guide our way..

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” Proverbs 16:9 NIV