Silly Musings about Navigation—Thanks to a Ladies’ Retreat

~By Sharon Czerwien

Just last weekend, some ladies and I went to our church’s ladies’ retreat. We had a great time, and we were all thankful for one particular lady (Cheri!) who willingly drove us “to and fro” in our church’s mini bus.

Cheri and I are in small group together at our church; so we had a foundation of trust already. She asked me to be her official navigator while she drove the bus. I sat right behind her and willingly took on the role to faithfully pay attention and communicate clearly about what to do on the road regarding all things directions.

If you know me really well, you would understand why this was a humbling ask for me. I have this weird sense of direction, and it’s not often accurate. Without exaggeration, I have failed directionally—with a GPS—on more than a ten-finger count. Nonetheless, I truly took this navigator job seriously!

Here are two sets of silly lists that crossed my mind, while traveling “to and fro” regarding the navigator/driver partnership.

*A navigator:

1. Must stay awake

2. Must keep focus

3. Must speak clearly

4. Must speak on time

*A driver:

1. Must stay awake

2. Must keep focus

3. Must listen well

4. Must respond on time

Cheri was an awesome driver! She performed her roles exceptionally well. I came back from this trip with a new sense of awe and respect for what she was able to accomplish on our behalf.

Trust!

I would like to add a #5 under the “driver portion”:

#5: A driver must trust. Trust what, though?

Sure, Cheri had to absolutely trust that I was doing my #s 1-4. I was mostly impressed, though, with her sense of trust that I was going to tell her on time what next steps to take, without her asking me constantly, “What’s next?” “How long?” “How many more miles to the turn?” “Are you sure?” “I don’t know about that.” “Sharon, you’re crazy, and I don’t agree...”

Cheri probably did ask me some of those questions a time or two, and that was no problem for me! Sometimes, verification and double checking were necessary.

My point is that Cheri did not constantly ask me those questions. She really did have overall faith in what I was going to tell her and that I would tell her on time. I was touched by that level of trust.

Focus and Timing!

Though I took my job seriously, the trip showed I am an imperfect human.

Yes, I stayed awake and was sure to speak clearly; however, I failed regarding focus and timing on one specific occasion during the way home.

The ladies behind me were playing a fun riddle/guessing game, and my mind accidentally started to focus more on that than on my phone’s GPS. I knew a certain road was coming soon, but I completely failed to pay attention to my phone and to tell Cheri when the turn was quickly upcoming.

Right when the road sign appeared in my sight, I declared something like, “Oh no, so sorry, that was the road! That was the turn we needed!”

We were on a two-lane side road in a mini bus. It was not simple to do any ‘ole u-turn, and my mistake added an extra ten minutes to our trip.

What was proven on that trip? Well, I already knew it, but I am an imperfect navigator!

Let me get to the point of this mess. Let me switch around some things to point out God’s goodness.

Have you considered that God’s plans and ways for us are perfect and that HE can be trusted as a result?

He is faithful, through and through—even when our path seems imperfect.

Where the Rubber Meets the Road!

(Sorry for the pun…)

Sometimes life’s road seems too bumpy, and we just do not like our journey! Sometimes, we get mad at God or our circumstances and refuse to trust His plan.

I highly encourage you to check out 1 Peter 4:12-19. We are clearly told to not think it is strange when we experience some trial. In fact, sometimes we must suffer as a direct result of being a Christian. (The New Testament is filled with examples of persecution, for example.)

Here’s where the rubber meets the road. In 1 Peter 4:19, it clearly teaches that in our varied suffering, God is still faithful.

“Therefore, let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.” (NKJV)

The verse even mentions that God is a faithful Creator. Creator! This gives Him the authority to have the controls for us, even if it means we experience difficulties at times.

He is Creator, and He remains faithful and trustworthy.

Next time we recognize our imperfect humanity, may we remember to be thankful for our perfectly faithful God.

~Drive on, keeping your focus on God!

Sharon