Make a Legal U-Turn

 GPS can be a great resource when driving in unfamiliar places.  I love that I can just put my destination into the system and it doesn't just give me directions, it talks to me.  It's like having a friend in the passenger seat who is telling me step by step how to get where I need to go.  Then there are the quirks of my GPS friend.  I've had it take me down roads that were closed due to construction because the system wasn't updated.  I've made a wrong turn against the advice of the GPS and heard it tell me, "Redirecting" or "rerouting".  

Probably the funniest thing that has ever happened to me when using GPS happened in the middle of Pittsburgh.  A friend and I had taken our kids to a dinosaur convention, and when we were pulling out of the parking garage, we weren't sure whether to turn right or left.  We had put our destination into the GPS, but we didn't have enough cell service in the garage for our GPS to load and start directing us.  So we took a guess and turned right.  And guess what?  Yep, we should have turned left.  So we found ourselves on a narrow street in the middle of downtown Pittsburgh, going the wrong way and having the GPS say, "Redirecting" over and over.  When we got to the nearest stoplight, our dear GPS friend said something I never expected: "Make a legal u-turn."  What?  There was no way we were doing that on this little street in an area where we had no idea where we were.  And I'm guessing at that point a u-turn would not have been legal.

But see, if we would have made that u-turn, we would have been back on track.  We would have been turned around and headed in the right direction to get home.  Instead, we ended up making a very long circle around some city blocks to get back to where we needed to be.  We did eventually find our way home, but it took a lot of lost, worried city driving to get there.

The Holy Spirit in our lives is a lot like this GPS.  He tells us the best route, but He doesn't force us to take it.  If we make a wrong turn, He lovingly navigates us around another way to get us on the right path.  And sometimes, when we get ourselves involved too much in this world, He will tell us, "Make a legal u-turn."  He desperately wants us to leave our sin behind, do a complete 180, and follow Him.  John the Baptist and Jesus both taught this when they said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near" (Matthew 3:2 and 4:17).  Repentance causes us to completely renounce our worldly way of life and commit to how Jesus wants us to live, following His every direction.

Let me tell you, the journey is a lot smoother when you tune into the GPS and allow it to guide you.  Unlike the GPS, the Holy Spirit never needs to be updated, and He will never lead you down a dead-end road.  He always has the best path laid out, we just have to follow it.  I know there are those of you out there that think you know a better route than the GPS, and so you veer off the course and go your own way.  That works out great when you're in a familiar area.  But never, ever think you know better than God when it comes to the path of life.  All of life is unfamiliar territory, and you will become terribly lost if you ignore His direction and go your own way.

So get yourself in the Word and in prayer, and ask for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit to guide you every day.  You won't regret following His direction.