Where's My Navigator?
There are times when I feel fairly confident that I know what I am doing, that the plan I am following is solid, and the decisions I have made are sound.
Then there are the other times...
He said to them, "Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? - Luke 24:38
What causes us to doubt?
Recently, I bought a new smartphone. While I haven't had it a long time, I have grown very dependent upon some of its features. One that I depend on while driving is turn-by-turn navigation.
I love it! A trusted voice guides me all the way from wherever I am to wherever I need to go.
The other day, suddenly, it was gone.
Just when I needed to find my way to my grandson's baseball game, the app disappeared, and I found myself panicking.
It wasn't that I couldn't figure out the way without it. I used to be able to do that with Google Maps, and with old fashioned gas station maps before that.
That wasn't the point. My trusted guide was gone!
And for longer than seemed reasonable, I grieved. I wasn't satisfied that I could do it alone. I wanted my app back.
Rather than head out without it, I was stopped in my tracks, searching for what was gone and looking for ways to set things right again.
I have yet to accept the new reality, that I may be living my life without my navigator app.
I know this sounds silly, but it is upsetting. Why did it go? Did it get upgraded and is now integrated into something else? Or did it somehow get deleted?
Should I expect that it will come back?
What's the point of having such a great tool and then losing it.
In today's reading, Jesus appears to his disciples, and they are afraid. They had grown accustomed to having his guidance and direction for so long, it had become unbearable to live without him. Then, he suddenly returns, and they don't understand.
Should they become dependent on him again?
Having everything go back to normal would be ideal, but it isn't the reality. They need to make their way on their own, and to help them with that, Jesus promises them a new navigator, the Holy Spirit.
And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. - Luke 24:48
On my way home, I discovered that the Map application guided me a different way than I knew I needed to go. I should have adjusted and gone my way, but I trusted it and went a round-about way back to the highway.
Despite the loss of my navigator, I am not without a guidance system.
I have a fairly accurate guidance system in me. I may have to be open to change, to accept that the way I did things won't work anymore, but I can still accomplish the task. I just have to learn to trust the wisdom, strength and power within.
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