Navigator

Last week was a whopper. On Monday I turned 30. It was a wonderful day of talking to family and friends, receiving boxes and cards which are still trickling in. On Tuesday our computer crashed. On Wednesday I tried to find help for my computer and at the end of the day as I was flossing my teeth a big chunk of tooth popped out. On Thursday I began another day of searching for computer wizardry and magic, hopeful for a recovery miracle. After 4 meetings with Mac genius's at 4 different locations in Sydney I came to terms with the fact that all was lost and the hard drive would have to be replaced. My last stop was the Mac store in the heart of downtown Sydney and I had to go it alone since Brooks was otherwise engaged.

My Dad always made us pay attention when we were in the car on a trip. I remember one vacation I got to sit in the passenger seat and be the "navigator." It was his way of teaching us to always know where we were and how to get to and from anywhere. I will forever be grateful for the time he took to teach and instill the navigational system. Being here at the bottom of the world has thrown my system off. I'm still learning which way is up and which way is down. It's so strange not knowing exactly where I am.

Nonetheless, this mission had to be accomplished so I set out bravely in Miss Bianca with my GPS Tom Tom. If you've ever used a GPS in the middle of skyscrapers you must know my dilemma. They have trouble locating their signal and when they can't find it, the little car on the screen goes spinning out in the grass. Just spinning there, confused. The little lady has no idea what to tell you, so she says "turn left, turn right, turn left." Not so helpful. I ended up in 5 o'clock traffic surrounded by buses, taxis and New York City style mobs of people with my GPS telling me to turn places it was uncertain about and the little car spinning out in the grass. It was overwhelming as I drove round and round. I felt like melting into a puddle but who was that going to help? I looked out the window around me and said "God I gotta get out of here and I need your help."

Sure as the sun does rise, by the power at work within, with what I'd been taught so long ago and after a few honks from fellow road goers, I made it onto Harbour Bridge where Tom Tom could find me and breathed a sigh of relief. As I neared home I felt so proud, like I could conquer anything and in that moment I realized I had a choice to make. I could either be frustrated and put out at all I'd been through that day or I could be thankful and victorious over all God had seen me through. I chose to let the good stuff rise to the top that day, like cream.

There are FAR worse things happening in the world than a crashed computer, a broken tooth and being lost in the city, but I am finding it is in times like these, when you don't know where you are, what to do, where to turn or which way to go, there is a Navigator who never loses signal.

This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live...

Deut. 30:19

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us...

Ephesians 3:20