Week 16: What was the last time you got lost?

This was a timely question as I got lost just the other day. I must confess this is not an entirely unfamiliar experience for me. You see, I am terrible at directions. TERRIBLE. I can't quite understand how some people just know where they are going.

It seems God has blessed some of us with the gift of direction, and others not so. I am of the 'not so' group.

That being said, the last time I was lost was only a day ago, on the way to the airport. I rely too heavily on GPS and trust it even above my own knowledge and instincts at times. Only after traveling 15 miles out of the way, did I decide to trust my gut and reconsider the machine that was guiding me.

The interesting thing to me about getting lost is that whether it happens to you often, or rarely, it never seems to happen without a lesson attached. Have you ever been lost and walked away without learning something? If not at least learning something about yourself, you usually learn something about the area you are in. Perhaps its a new route, or a short-cut if you're lucky!

Getting lost is one of my least favorite feelings, at first. I feel so out of control and I hate feeling out of control. I get angry with myself. I panic about being late to wherever I am going. Yet, getting lost has a way of slowing me down. I am forced to take a deep breath, stop the negative voices in my head, and find the best solution. The funny thing about being lost is you cannot stay lost. You must find your way again, even if it means turning around. There is simply no other solution.

Perhaps this is a metaphor for our lives. We structure everything these days. As a new mom I am often amused by the "structured playtime" activities that are often offered and encouraged. We always have a plan, a schedule. We leave little time for randomness and almost criticize those who do. "She's kind of a hot mess." "They are ALWAYS late," "They don't really have it together."

I am not suggesting that life does not need structure. I think we thrive on it. In fact, a huge lesson I have learned in parenting is that without a schedule all hope is lost. I love schedules for this reason. However, on the days that things just simply do not go as planned, I never walk away without learning something.

I fear that sometimes I am so preoccupied living out my "perfect plan" that I leave no room for a detour. Lets be honest, I often need a detour from my own plans.

I am starting to learn that God will lovingly, but most certainly get our attention when He needs to. Sometimes He needs to turn us around and send us back the way we came. Sometimes He needs to turn us down a different path. Other times, however, He lets us get lost.

Now, I am not saying He leaves us. He NEVER leaves us. But I believe He does let us get lost at times, so that we can be found again in Him. When we are lost we have no other option but to cry out to Him, and let Him lovingly direct us where we should go. In this light, being lost does not have to be such a horrible thing. Jesus explains it with a different metaphor;

Luke 15:4-6 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.”

You see, God doesn't care how you got lost. He just cares that you are found. He is the Shepard that will leave the 99 to go after the one. Thats how much He loves YOU.

If you are in a season of feeling lost. Perhaps you just lost a job, a relationship, or something else. Take heart. God has not left. He is in this season with you. He never leaves the one behind. I encourage you to ask Him to make Himself known. Show you where He is directing you next. You might be surprised to find yourself looking back in no time at all, grateful for new direction.

This song says it better than I ever could, enjoy!