A couple of weeks ago I was on my way to a debate tournament
and while I knew I had been to this school before, I couldn’t recall where it
was located. As it usually happens in
situations like this, I was running late. Because I was running late I didn’t have
time to look it up on Google maps.
I normally like to look at a map to get the big picture and
see all the different paths available to get me to my location/destination. I
like to be able to have some options in case I run into an issue or obstacle so
I can change course and still get to my location.
But on this day, I couldn’t do that. I hopped into my mom
van not knowing where I was going. As I
headed out of my neighborhood I thought about how crazy it was to do this
–leave without knowing where I was going or how I was going to get there!
Circumstances were such that I needed to just use my phone’s GPS to get me
there.
I am not a fan of that.
As I drove along I found myself getting a little anxious
that I wasn’t being told what was ahead and what I needed to do. I was on
several different freeways with crazy left and right exits. Would GPS know that
I need some warning if it is a left exit so I am not trying to pull across 4
lanes to get to the exit?
My drive was almost an hour long and as I approached my
final destination I remember thinking, “This is NOT how I would have come
to this location!” As I walked from my parked mom van to my event I had a
conversation in my head…
“Why would GPS
take me this way? It seemed so much longer.” And I answered myself saying…
“It may have been
a bit longer but there was no traffic so perhaps it was faster.” I responded again…
“Yeah, but what
about that early exit and the weird drive through a residential area instead of
the correct exit to the major intersection?”
I debated back & forth until I found my way to the
judges check-in. The last thing I
thought on the topic was…
“I will not go
home that way!”
10 hours later I got back in the mom van and as promised I
took another route home.
It was the opposite direction from the route GPS had given
me.
Not even a mile into my desired route and I am at a
standstill with bumper to bumper traffic. That went on for miles until I made
my way onto another freeway where I also found myself in traffic with other
folks with poor driving skills. My frustration level was a little high.
I thought about the GPS route.
The experience of the day reminded me that God leads us much like my GPS...step-by-step without giving us the full view. God doesn’t give us a
big overview and full picture of where He is leading us, does He? No, He leads
like the GPS …one step at a time with direction at just the right time. Not many of us would follow if we knew where God was taking us. Just like I wouldn't have gone the GPS route if I had seen the path traveled in advance.
It made me think about Joseph, Old Testament Joseph, or as I
affectionately call him, OT Joe.
I studied Joseph in the summer of 2013. It was my first time
attending Sunday school class and it was a new class Pastor Dave was going to
teach (Pastor Dave didn’t teach Sunday school).
It was a wonderful introduction to Joseph. I have thought of it many
times. Over the last 6 months I have felt God calling me to study this again.
You know when God puts something in your path so many times and so many ways
you can no longer pretend He isn’t talking to you – well, it was that kind of
thing.
So here we are …you, me, and OT Joe.
Joseph’s story is timeless. The beauty of the Bible is that
people that lived 2000 or 3000 years ago are very much like the people we are
today. The circumstances in which we live may be different, but people are
still the same. Joseph’s story is proof.
This won’t be an in-depth Beth Moore style study but I want
to encourage you to read along and pick a verse and create some art to go with
it. No pressure. Do what you can, when you can.
We will begin in Genesis 37. Read Chapter 37 and select a
verse. I will share my verse on Saturday, October 3 and talk a little about the
chapter. I will continue to post on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday throughout
the month of October. 12 postings will bring us to Wednesday the 28th.
Saturday the 31st will be an extra verse and recap. (I already have
too many verses J)
Please feel free to comment , I love hearing
from you!
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