Wednesdays with grace

You find inspiration in unexpected places. Recently, I found it an Op-Ed article in the Wall Street Journal written by North Carolina attorney, Mike Kerrigan. In his Op-Ed piece, Mike tells the story of rushing to a lunch meeting at an unfamiliar restaurant. Racing to get to the appointment in time, he punched the address into his car’s GPS and hurriedly took off towards his destination. However, his GPS took him on a route that was unfamiliar to him and one that he would not have chosen. Yet, his GPS knew what he could not have known—there was an accident on his preferred route that would have prevented him from arriving at his appointed designation on time. While he was free to choose any route, he followed his GPS. Thirty minutes later, he became distracted and missed the exit for his restaurant. (I can relate: I once got distracted by a long phone call on my way to Atlanta and didn’t realize I was on I-59 until I saw the signs for Chattanooga!) Thankfully, his GPS caught the error and promptly recalibrated his route with a gentle, “proceed to the route.” He missed no further exits and made his lunch appointment.

Mike concluded his story by drawing this conclusion: “Such is God’s love. He knows and wants what’s best for me, always and everywhere. If I ask and—this is important—in the quite, listen, He’ll tell me the surest path toward the good I seek. And when I can’t align my will to His for a measly half-hour, He doesn’t forsake me. Instead, He meets me where I am, however lowly and however often, and from there He tells me the best way forward. I am never lost while there’s breath in me; in His ‘proceed to the route’ is patient love beyond all understanding.”

King David did not have a Global Positioning System. All he had was a lamp: “For you are my lamp, O Lord, and my God lightens my darkness.” 2 Samuel 22:29. Sola Deo Gloria.

Peace and Grace—

Carter