Monday, June 14, 2010

Sense of Direction

My husband Marc has an amazing sense of direction. I have been so impressed by the way he just knows how to get where we need to go. I always thought it was great, but seeing it in action in Nashville I'm kind of in awe. One road can have 3-5 different names, depending on where you are. And unlike Phoenix, which is basically a flat grid, there are all kinds of curves and hills and ever changing scenery. We don't have a GPS. It's completely unnecessary. All it takes is driving somewhere one time and that imformation is perfectly transferred to Marc's mental map. Like I said, amazing.

That gift has been passed on to our son Nate. But as for me and our daughter, Hannah, we are seriously challenged in this area. For example, I can go into a store at the mall, and when I leave it, I have no idea which direction to turn. I have been strictly a passenger for quite a while, so I'm just enjoying the view, and trusting whoever is driving to get us where we need to go. I could blame it on my MS, but I know that it's just the way I am.

A couple weeks ago Marc said something about having a good sense of direction and place. So it's more than just knowing where you're going, it's about knowing where you are, which makes perfect sense. I just had never thought of it that way before.

A couple days ago I came across one of my favorite passages in the Bible:

And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being.    -Acts 17:26-28a
 
When I read that I immediately thought of my sense of direction and place. This says that God has chosen my place. Where I am right now is where He wants me to be. What a comforting thought! And I think it's more than where my house is, it's about all of the circumstances of my life. It's even about my wheelchair. I can say that because this is the place that I have sought the Lord more than any other. And He is not far from me, He has brought me near to Himself through the blood of His beloved Son, Jesus.
 
There are many times that I feel lost, and I'm not sure which way to turn. But I have hope! God, Himself, is my sense of direction and place.  He has given me His Word and chosen my heart to be the dwelling place of His Holy Spirit. It is in Him that I live and move and have my being. Right now I know exactly where I am. And I trust Him to get me where I'm supposed to go. Talk about amazing.
 

4 comments:

  1. JR and I have that same thing. He can find his way around a strange city but I couldn't find my way out of a paper sack. Oh, well. We have other gifts, right?! :)

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  2. Right! I don't know what would happen if I got a motorized wheelchair. I can just imagine myself lost in my own neighborhood...

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  3. Remember when I got to the stage at the pool where I didn't have to be right next to the kids, but still watching them every second from the deck? Hannah got out of the pool to go down the slide, checked herself, gently popped herself in the nogin and went the other way. I smiled to myself, because I knew 2 things: She knew she needed a correction and she was able to correct herself without MY help. It was a big growing-up step for BOTH of us!
    As always your "story" today was beautiful and God-glorifying, Ylisa!!

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  4. I remember that happening. At least she realized she was going the wrong way! Thank you.

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