I have had the opportunity to visit England multiple times. I love the country but must admit that driving in Britain is always a challenge for me. Besides the obvious—they drive on the wrong side of the road—there are other inconveniences and downright hazards. First, almost every car is a manual transmission. That in itself is not a problem except for the fact that the stick shift has to be manipulated with the left hand, and I can’t do a thing with my left hand. Second, their roads are littered with roundabouts, which for those of you unfamiliar with the term, means in essence, you shouldn’t have to stop. You pull up to an intersection, which is circular, look right (that’s important!) and if you have ten feet of room between you and the car bearing down on you, you go for it! (A slight exaggeration but not much.) Third, many of the roads are the size of our alleyways with no shoulder, and not only must two cars pass on these roads, they must pass with cars parked along them. This leads to two approaching cars basically playing a game of chicken as they weave around the parked cars and each other. Even though the Brits’ life expectancy is higher than ours here in the US, I would think they lose a few years just because of near death experiences on the road. I know I have.
I say all this to show you that for foreigners, navigating through Britain is not only difficult but can be downright dangerous.
Fortunately, while I am trying to remember all the technical parts, I do have the benefit of having two GPSs in the car. The first is the one that came programmed into the car. It is the more persistent of the two. It repeats the directions to follow (sometimes to the point where it becomes annoying), and if I miss a turn, it relentlessly reminds me that I have made a mistake and must turn around and remedy it immediately. This GPS is very handy to have.
However, I also have a second GPS in the car. This is my British friend who is sitting in the seat next to me. This one is even handier to have as she knows the roads and the ways of British drivers. Therefore, when the first GPS says to leave at the fourth exit at the next roundabout, my live GPS tells me which lane to get into, when to slow down, which car to follow, and actually points to the exit. She also warns me about possible problems ahead, and overall provides both personal context for the car’s GPS and a sense of peace because I am not having to navigate these unfamiliar roads all on my own. However, I have to admit that once I feel confident behind the wheel, I sometimes get annoyed with the live GPS thinking I can’t do it on my own. Unfortunately, such thinking usually does not end well as I either get us lost, land us in some difficult situation, or create tension between us.
As Christians, we are also on a journey through foreign territory, for we have been reminded that this earth is not our home; we are just passing through. Therefore, we too are driving in a foreign country. Now I in no way want to equate the infallible Word of God with the fallible human created GPS, nor do I want to infer that a human being is on equal footing with the Holy Spirit; however, in some ways there is some similarity to how the car and human GPS work together and how the Bible and the Holy Spirit work in tandem. The Bible provides the directions to live life successfully, repeats these directions frequently (sometimes to the point where we don’t really want to hear them again), and reminds us when we have taken a wrong turn and that we must correct our error and turn around. In addition, it reminds us of God’s love for us and all of His promises (something definitely missing in a car GPS).
However, it is the Holy Spirit, that live GPS sitting in the seat next to us, who makes sense of those directions, gently prods us, whispers reminders, warns of upcoming dangers, shows us how to correct our errors, and reminds us of how God is currently loving us and keeping His promises. Unfortunately, I often take the same attitude with this guide as I do with my human one. I get overconfident or think I can do it on my own, only to end up with similar results: lost, in a difficult situation, and with a strained or broken relationship with God.
As we travel through this earthly journey on route to our eternal home, may we cherish the instruction, correction, and reproof of the Bible and all of God’s promises that it holds, and may we value the personal interest and intervention of the Holy Spirit as It helps navigate us through the roads of this life.
I say all this to show you that for foreigners, navigating through Britain is not only difficult but can be downright dangerous.
Fortunately, while I am trying to remember all the technical parts, I do have the benefit of having two GPSs in the car. The first is the one that came programmed into the car. It is the more persistent of the two. It repeats the directions to follow (sometimes to the point where it becomes annoying), and if I miss a turn, it relentlessly reminds me that I have made a mistake and must turn around and remedy it immediately. This GPS is very handy to have.
However, I also have a second GPS in the car. This is my British friend who is sitting in the seat next to me. This one is even handier to have as she knows the roads and the ways of British drivers. Therefore, when the first GPS says to leave at the fourth exit at the next roundabout, my live GPS tells me which lane to get into, when to slow down, which car to follow, and actually points to the exit. She also warns me about possible problems ahead, and overall provides both personal context for the car’s GPS and a sense of peace because I am not having to navigate these unfamiliar roads all on my own. However, I have to admit that once I feel confident behind the wheel, I sometimes get annoyed with the live GPS thinking I can’t do it on my own. Unfortunately, such thinking usually does not end well as I either get us lost, land us in some difficult situation, or create tension between us.
As Christians, we are also on a journey through foreign territory, for we have been reminded that this earth is not our home; we are just passing through. Therefore, we too are driving in a foreign country. Now I in no way want to equate the infallible Word of God with the fallible human created GPS, nor do I want to infer that a human being is on equal footing with the Holy Spirit; however, in some ways there is some similarity to how the car and human GPS work together and how the Bible and the Holy Spirit work in tandem. The Bible provides the directions to live life successfully, repeats these directions frequently (sometimes to the point where we don’t really want to hear them again), and reminds us when we have taken a wrong turn and that we must correct our error and turn around. In addition, it reminds us of God’s love for us and all of His promises (something definitely missing in a car GPS).
However, it is the Holy Spirit, that live GPS sitting in the seat next to us, who makes sense of those directions, gently prods us, whispers reminders, warns of upcoming dangers, shows us how to correct our errors, and reminds us of how God is currently loving us and keeping His promises. Unfortunately, I often take the same attitude with this guide as I do with my human one. I get overconfident or think I can do it on my own, only to end up with similar results: lost, in a difficult situation, and with a strained or broken relationship with God.
As we travel through this earthly journey on route to our eternal home, may we cherish the instruction, correction, and reproof of the Bible and all of God’s promises that it holds, and may we value the personal interest and intervention of the Holy Spirit as It helps navigate us through the roads of this life.
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