I wonder what preachers did in the days before Sat-Nav illustrations? Those of you who follow this blog will know that I have written about Sat-Nav systems on more than one occasion, and yesterday I was on holiday in a church listening to a children's talk using a Sat-Nav as the illustration. Which got me thinking off on a tangent...
Many Christians have questions, at some point or another, about guidance. We believe that God has a plan for us - the question is whether I know what that is. Am I doing what I should be doing? What should I be doing? What happens if I get it wrong?
One of the good things about Sat-Nav is that if you take a wrong turning you either get told to turn around, or a new route is calculated. Also you are not stuck to a fixed route. Coming back from holiday yesterday afternoon and being stuck on the M5 in traffic around Bristol, we had a brief stop in a service station and then drove off into the country, away from the motorway and towards Bristol using a mixture of A and B roads, before meeting up with the M4 at Junction 19. It may have taken a bit longer but it was a much more interesting drive.
So where is all this going?
I have heard illustrations that describe the Bible as a map - it shows us the way to live. But a map gives the big picture. You can see the whole country - every road. Life is not always like that. Rarely, if ever, do we see the big picture. God certainly sees the big picture but we rarely do.
Before Sat-Nav I used to use the AA website to print off directions from one postcode to another. The trouble with this system is that if you take a wrong turn you are totally lost without hope unless you can get back to the point at which you went wrong. I think some people see guidance this way - there is only route and if I ever take a wrong turn there is no hope, I've messed up, and if I can't get back to where I was then things are never going to work out as they should. And such a fear of making a wrong turn can paralyse people into making no decisions at all.
But I think the Sat-Nav is more like the way things are with us and God. I know where I am, and I know what I need to do next (turn left in 2.35 miles). God knows the rest. And as long as I follow the instructions I should get to where I am going. But if I make a mistake it is not the end of the world. Sometimes I will have to turn around, but at other times an alternative route will get me to where I am going - as long as I follow the new instructions. And sometimes I believe that God gives us the choice to make up our own mind. "You know where you are, you know where you want to be. Any of these three roads will take you there. One is quicker than the others. One is shorter. One is more scenic." All I have to do is start driving down one of those roads, follow the instructions, and enjoy the ride.
