Just Your Average Sam

I thought I'd recap on a recent outing I had solo. (yes, w/out kids.. imagine that) I wish it were a joyful event but alas I had an important appointment so off I went. My car, unlike many newer ones with GPS built in, is solely user navigated and will not scream at me to "U-Turn! U-Turn!" if I veer off in the wrong direction. I know some of you may be saying that I could just as easily invest in a portable navigation system for my dear POS car but I simply can't bring myself to do it. Does the phrase "burglar's dream" help at all? But I digress... so I planned ahead {laughs} and printed out the mapquest directions on how to get to the site. I got there - no problem - had my appointment & back into the car I went. It wasn't until I buckled up my seatbelt that it dawned on me.... I never printed reversed directions. Nice one Sam. {and if you're nodding your head because you've been there then a big *high five* to ya} Anyhow, I pulled out the directioins and decided that I would simply reverse the directional routes using the same Freeway numbers. That should be easy enough, right?


[i think i recall seeing this exact sign]


Well the first leg of my, almost hour long, journey went smoothly. I had to speed up a few times to get around trucks so that I could see that blasted Freeway sign before the actual exits hit but I managed. Then came the big split. It was either "Do you want to go to Los Angeles or Tahoe". I did not know. LOL I decided to go to Tahoe in a rash last second decision (right before that big box truck almost hit me) and felt a bit nervous about the terrain. I didn't remember anything I was seeing. What to do?

Now let's backtrack a bit here so you can understand my state of mind at the time. I was in a place I'd never been, on unfamiliar roads that made no sense, vehicles everywhere spanning across five lanes, it's hot, my A/C is broken... are you up to speed? Ok, so here I was driving and feeling quite unsure of myself - then suddenly a bible verse came to mind. I read a book called The Mommy Diaries in which one of the stories talked about a mother being unsure of what she was supposed to be doing with her life. So there I was - driving, lost, frustrated - and suddenly Proverbs 3:5 comes to mind. The Lord said to me "You need to trust me- just let go and trust me." I said to Him "Please give me a sign". Then, naive Sam, begins looking for a sign- literally. There I was, driving down the freeway looking for some graffiti saying "Wrong Way" or something definite along those lines. In case you're wondering - it never happened.

No, the Lord laughed {at least I'm pretty sure He did} as I thought that. Instead, I suddenly came to three fast food restaurant signs that I'd seen the night before when I took Juliette to the hospital. And somehow I had enough super awesome driving ability to turn my head and look at the signs, relate back to the night before and realize that I'd seen them coming from the opposite direction. I was going the right way after all!

You may be wondering... what next? Well, I'll tell ya. I got cocky. I started driving and passed 2 exits that I KNEW how to get home from. I passed shopping areas, restaurants, roads and other assorted places that were familiar.. but I never got off the freeway. I kept going. Suddenly, as it happens to do quite frequently in this area, the freeway was surrounded by farm land again. I felt sick. Why didn't I get off? What was I waiting for?

There is a story that is often told about not seeing the signs God is sending us. Here's how it goes....

A man was in his house when horrendous rains started coming up. The water starts rising, and before you know it, the entire state is flooded. Roads are covered. Nothing’s moving. Pretty soon, a boat comes along.

Guy in the boat yells, ‘Come on - we’re here to save you. Get in the boat.’
Guy in the house says, ‘No…I’ve got faith that God will save me.'
The boat leaves. The water keeps rising. The guy is forced up the second floor of his house by the flood waters.

Another boat comes along. The guy in the boat yells, ‘Come on! It’s getting worse. If
you don’t get in the boat, you’re going to drown.’ From the second floor window the guy says, ‘No…I’ll be ok. I’ve got faith in God that he’ll save me.’ The boat leaves. Water’s rising. The guy’s on the roof at this point.
A helicopter hovers overhead and the pilot shouts out, ‘This is your last
chance. Climb up the ladder. If you don’t come now you’re going to drown.’
The guy says from the roof, ‘No, thanks. God will save me.’
The pilot shrugs his shoulders and splits. The water rises. The guy drowns.
He ascends to the pearly gates. He asks St. Peter, ‘What happened? I’ve been devoted to God and had absolute faith that he would save me. Why did he let me down?’
And St. Peter tells him, ‘What the heck do you want? God sent ya two boats and a helicopter!?’
So you see - if you ask, and He gives you an answer - and you know He gave you the answer- then you'd better listen. You must seek God in all things, but you must also be Obedient to Him when he speaks.

Back to driving.... I felt like such a turd. I felt like I had tested the Lord for Him to open up some unseen path to veer off on and take me home. That didn't happen. What do you do at that point? When you know you've messed up - even after He's answered your prayers - and feel lost? I repented. That's what I did.. I said, out loud, "Sorry about that". Within minutes, He revealed to me the sign for my exit . Imagine that.
Long story short? 'Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding (NIV)'