The last two years have brought about many changes within my life. While I am grateful to all who have helped and supported to me I find myself still learning and growing. I often find myself thinking about random concepts that I try to relate to my life and in many ways the Gospel.
About a week ago I was driving in my car during a marketing business trip. While I often find myself great with directions I have come to rely on a small device known as a GPS...or a global positioning system. As the years pass and the technology increases I find that more and more people have GPS systems within their cars or phones enabling them to find their way when lost. It was during this trip that a new concept hit me...
I was in the middle of driving to a location that I already knew how to find...but like an addict I decided to input the address on my GPS system and follow the directions it provided. While on the course of the mapped out journey I found myself running into obstacles and difficulties that I could have avoided had I just followed my own path...it was in this moment that I saw a connection to everyday life and the Gospel...it is in this moment that I changed what GPS stood for...Gospel Positioning System...
As we grow up and progress through life we will face detours...dangerous roads...wrong turns...dead ends...we will also find shortcuts...scenic routes...and straight paths leading us to our next destination. But what are the destinations that we must reach? The purpose of this life is to successfully reach the end as the best person we can possibly be. Every so often we have goals or destinations that we must reach in order to help us achieve these goals and to reach our final end point safely. High school...marriage...family...career...these are all stops and destinations that we must all reach to enjoy the end of this life...
What if we liken these detours, dead ends, obstacles, shortcuts, and joys like we are driving along a road that leads us to heaven? What roads and paths will we take to get there?
In our journeys we find ourselves lost and seeking guidance...often we find ourselves confused and scared at the possible outcomes we may face from wrong turns and poor choices. It is in these moments that we must use our GPS to find the correct way...but what if the GPS is programmed wrong? What if the GPS mistakes your current location for another and leads you astray?
So often in life we allow others to guide us through obstacles...so many times we let others tell us where to go...so many times we rely on information or maps that were already created...and sometimes we never question these paths...
When we listen to others we are giving them our personal GPS for them to program...for them to put the correct path in. It is then left to us on whether we would like to follow the path mapped out before us. But are we trusting the right individuals?
How many times have you followed a friend's advice and hated the outcome? How many times have you ignored your conscience and faced serious consequences? How many times have you been led astray? At the same time how many times have you listened to your heart and found happiness? How many times have you listened to your mother and kept safe?
I have decided that all of us have become accustomed to following. It is so easy to go along with someones advice and blame the outcome on their decision...it is so easy to follow your GPS and blame the outcome on bad programming or out of date maps...but you chose that path and the fault is yours.
No one is the same...not one person will share the same stories, experiences, struggles, difficulties, obstacles, joys, and strengths of another...everyone starts on their own individual path. With this in mind, why do we not listen to ourselves or the creator of this journey? Since no one is the same no one path will be the same. The correct path for your friend will most likely never be the same path for you. If you are struggling with school should you listen to the advice of your basketball coach or should you do what is obvious and study or do your assigned homework?
At the same time you need to watch who you give advice to...if you are progressing through marriage can you give proper guidance to those going through high school? Obviously since you are through with that aspect of your life you will feel like you have the right answers...but were your answers and experiences the same as theirs will be? No...
We must all pay attention to who we allow to program our paths in life...who we trust for directions...and which advice to follow...and we must all take responsibility for our dead ends and detours...
There will always be an answer to which direction you should go...there will always be a correct path. Sometimes you will traverse through storms...and sometimes you will enjoy cool autumn days. Sometimes you will want to take a detour and rest...and sometimes you should persevere to the next destination...
The journey is your own. You ultimately chart your own course. The path we take can be filled with joy and beautiful scenery...moments of laughter and love. But if we let someone else take control the path can also be filled with moments of frustration and disappointment...leading us to back track until we find the correct way once more.
Fantastically written, Trent. I'm glad I listened to you when you said to check out your blog update on your Facebook page. Good job!
ReplyDeleteYour practically second brother,
Josh