This is a map of how to get from my brother's house to my daughter's house.
Last week I got lost going and coming back.
If I'd had this map with me I would not have got lost but I tried to find my way without a map. I recently used a satellite navigation to find my way to Loros, which is a hospice in Leicester. I went via a place I had never been to before so was trusting the navigation device without question. I had told it to take me to Loros, the co-ordinates of which, I had saved in 'favourites'. Satnavs don't have a facility to enter 'not at all favourite' because as you can imagine visiting a hospice is nobody's favourite. However I pressed the requisite choice and headed off into the centre of Leicester, arriving at the Little Theatre, which is not Loros. I did once go to the Little Theatre but I wouldn't have added that to favourites either. I was now in a dilemma because wherever Loros was, its location was not saved in the talking direction box and I had not committed the street name or area to memory because I had saved it in favourites and relied on Colin's little electronic voice to guide me safely there. I suppose it took me about half an hour to guess my way back to a place I recognised as being somewhere on the way to the hospice and another twenty minutes to find the correct roundabout to exit so I could visit my friend.
One of Jesus' friends once asked him about the directions to a place he didn't know the way to. He said, "We don't know where you're going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus didn't give him a map or a satnav, he just more or less said, "Stick with me, I'll show you." more exactly, he said, "I am the way, the truth and the life." It's always a good idea to go somewhere with someone who knows the way, that way you don't get lost.
I found my way from Burbage to Stoke Golding today and whilst I didn't go the best way, I never actually got lost. My self satisfaction was short lived. On the way home I must have turned the wrong way because I came upon a sign which said, Road Ahead Closed. As I was convinced I had come in this way, I decided the road must have been closed further ahead than I needed to be. I ignored the large red signs and drove on. Quite some while later having driven down long, narrow, windy, wet, winding country lanes, I found myself faced with some red plastic barriers declaring the road was closed. I drove past them as they weren't actually closing the road, they were just making it rather difficult to get by. Several miles later on I appeared to be approaching Higham on the Hill. Because I've heard of Higham on the Hill I kept driving. More red and possibly a few yellow barriers suggested that roadworks were occurring but I had come too far to turn back now. I eventually came to a turning for Upton which I have never heard of but it looked as if the road closure might not be applicable if I drove to Upton so I turned left and drove down a long, narrow, windy, wet, winding country lane. It was pitch dark, the wind was howling and the tree branches were hitting the car as I passed. There was flooding on the road but I skirted round it. I came upon another sign which said Road Closed Ahead, so I pressed on. The entire left side of the road was cordoned off with barriers and there was precious little room to drive a large car down the right side but I wasn't going to give up at the last hurdle.
As I rounded the bend up a steep hill, two glaring headlights faced me. A truck was coming towards me.
I put the car in reverse and skewing myself round in my seat to look over my shoulder, I reversed as fast as I possibly could, trying to avoid the hedge on one side and the red barriers on the other. I guess I had 11cm to spare each side. The truck continued to glare until I swung into a drive way. He indicated into the same driveway so I drove out and went back the way I had originally come. Miles later, driving between some bollards on the reverse of which was a sign saying Road Closed, I was relieved to return to the opposite end of Stoke Golding. Passing the end of the road I had left 25 minutes earlier, I continued through the village and came upon a sign which said Road Ahead Closed. I knew that technically that wasn't true, but I turned round and headed for Dadlington which was at least a new place to be lost. Eventually a sign to Earl Shilton materialised, which is not where I wanted to be, but I sometimes know how to get from there to my house as long as I don't get lost in Elmesthorpe or Barwell on the way. It was almost an hour later when I reached home. People reading this may be surprised that I ignored the first signs. I should have just believed them and turned round. I thought I knew better. In the Bible in Romans chapter 1, we read, "For since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse," But like me and the road closed signs, people still think they have an excuse. They know a better way, it can't be true that there is a creator, so they take an alternative route. I'm just trying to save you a lonely journey down a long, wet, windy pitch dark, flooded road which ultimately takes you to a dead end, In Jesus I believe I have found the road to eternal life. It's open to everyone and because Jesus walks it with you, even in the darkest places you are safe. You might be familiar with the words of this old song." I once was lost but now I'm found, was blind but now I see." That's me.....is it you yet?
