My co-worker, Cindy, left the office ahead of me to go to the Post Office before our rendezvous for a lunch meeting with a ministry volunteer. We were both traveling into an unfamiliar part of town and armed with a print out of MapQuest directions.

What followed was a comedy of errors. A few minutes before I had to start paying attention to the directions, I got a call from my best friend. I always want to talk with her so our conversation continued (I know, I’ve seen the hang up and drive bumper stickers too). A quick stop sent the directions sliding off the passenger seat onto the floor mat. Thankfully, I could still glance down and see the street names!

After the second turn I noticed my co-worker’s car pulled over to the side of the road under the shade of a tree. How thoughtful of Cindy to wait for me to catch up with her so we could arrive together. As I approached she pulled out onto the street ahead of me and proceeded to precisely follow our MapQuest directions. (Yes, I was still on the phone!)

After following her for several miles, Cindy took an unexpected turn. I followed her assuming she knew where we were going … and then another unexpected turn. I looked closely at the car again – yes, same year and color car, same ding in the rear quarter panel, and same scrape on the bumper. It had to be her! I looked through the back window of the car and saw the driver was wearing glasses. Cindy had complained about her contacts bothering her so had she taken them out and put on her glasses?

A few blocks later I got a better look at the driver and thought it might not be Cindy after all. So I ended one phone call only to place one to ask: am I following you?

I wasn’t! In fact, Cindy was a few miles behind me on this quest to find our destination. So I turned around and doubled back… calling my best friend, of course, to share the news of what I had done. Our shared laugher broke the tension I was feeling over being lost and late.

When I was at the point I needed to retry the directions, I turned around only to see Cindy (yes, it was really her) coming toward me from the opposite direction! She signaled a turn into a business parking lot and I followed. We discussed the directions, where a particular street was, and certain we knew where we were going, headed off again.

A few miles down the road we were on a street not on the directions! We pulled into a church parking lot and decided to call our hostess. We decided it was best to ride together from that point. We discovered, to our amazement, the MapQuest directions would have never gotten us to our destination! A few minutes later we were at the right house!

After the meeting and back at my car Cindy commented she had meant to bring her Garmin. I had thought of bringing one too. We wondered out loud if we would have found the house with a GPS as our guide.

Alone in my car and headed back to the office, I began to think about how important it is to know who we are following and whose directions to trust. This experience reminded me how easily we take off on our own in life, convinced we know where we are going. What a great lesson for one on a journey of grace.

In order to reach our life’s desired destination we have to follow God. If we’re not sure about where we’re heading – we need only ask! Granted, the answer may not come as quickly as a cell phone call but it will come in time to keep us going in the right direction! Who are you following?

We left home last Saturday in the late afternoon headed for Elba, Alabama. Our intention was to grab some fast food off the Interstate in Montgomery. We were so distracted by a misbehaving Garmin (it thought we were still in Kentucky where we’d been the week before!) that we were past the city before we realized it. Hopeful, we stopped at the gas station/convenience store at our exit. Unfortunately the person working there was no help in giving us locations along our route where we could eat.

Munching on snacks, we headed off into the darkness on a never-before (for us) traveled road. After several turns from one county road to another we found ourselves in Highland Home. I almost drove past the oasis. It was dark and the building had few outside lights. In fact it was the reflection from our headlights on the cars in the gravel parking lot that caught my attention. When we saw how many cars were parked at almost 7 on a Saturday night we decided to stop – especially not knowing what eating opportunities might be ahead.

It Don’t Matter proved to be a wonderful surprise. The atmosphere was warm (the wait staff and the welcome heated air) and the food delicious! Days later I am still thinking about and talking about It Don’t Matter. I wonder when I might be by there again.

How often God has surprises for us! I wonder how many we miss because we’re not expecting them or don’t see them or don’t recognize them when they happen. I think I am going to live more expectantly – after a jewel of a diner for our hungry stomachs what else is just ahead?