A Road Map

I realized tonight that I have been MIA for quite a while. Yet, here I am again. I am sitting in the semi-dark. My Christmas tree is lit, and the small lights over my counter are on. It's cold outside, but warm in. I have done many things tonight, basically involving everything but the things that I really need to do. But, tomorrow is Friday, and the weekend is coming, opening its arms welcoming me in, and I am ready.

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I have a couple of friends that I have acquired in Illinois who have taught me about "The Drive." Let me quickly explain.
You get in your car. You may or may not call your friends and say you have five minutes to be ready and jump in the car. Then you drive.

The Drive comes with rules:
1. Don't ask questions. For example, "Where are we going?"Not allowed. Neither is, "When are we going back?" or "what are we doing next?" Depending on who you are with, "I'm hot/cold, it's too windy" is also questionable.
2. Bring music, just in case you and your driving buddies need to sing.
3. Just gotta roll. Bring a jacket. Or a sweater. The person who is driving is in charge. If the driver decides to roll down the window, and blare the heat, go with it.
4. Sit back and relax. Whether you are driving or riding, you should enjoy the ride. Enjoy the scenery. Talk. Laugh. Cry.
5. When you end up back where you started from you should feel better, lighter, calmer, and even happier than when you first headed out.

I am terrible at "The drive." I make an excellent passenger, but when it comes to being the driver I am awful. I have a need to know where to go next, where to turn, when's the stop light, what's the speed limit.... I could go on of course. I slide in, sit behind the wheel, and grip it tightly, afraid to just go. I need a map. My other friends who are experts at the drive do not need a map. They just drive. We have been lost quite often, but we always return whole and safe and well.

Life is not always as easy as the drive. I can look outside, and plan into tomorrow. I can decide when I'm going on vacation, and where, but the bends in the road, the storms, the hills, well I just quite frankly cannot see them. I want a map. I sit behind the wheel, and I grip tightly, anxious to know where I'm going, what will happen next. There is no map for life, though. Sometimes I believe that God is waiting for me to slide over to the passenger seat, lean back, and enjoy The Drive.

Overall, I think it's been a pretty good one.

Proverbs 3:5-7
Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he's the one who will keep you on track.
Don't assume that you know it all.