In this blog, we’ll learn how to navigate life’s twists and turns.
I left the surprise birthday party of a friend. The party was at her new home in a new neighborhood that was not yet on my navigation system in the car. I had found the home in the middle of the construction area because it was still light out and a guard at the gate gave me directions.
Leaving the party was another matter. It was dark. There were no street lamps yet in the community. Her home was down a street that was mostly filled with half done homes and Bob’s barricades at the end of the driveways keeping people from entering in.
I thought I could remember my way out but … the darkness kept me locked inside the new subdivision while I turned left and right trying to find my way to the major intersection leading into the new community.
I knew eventually I would and eventually I did. Through prayer and pleading to God to get me out of there.
When I found my way to the intersection of the familiar roads that would lead me home, I cranked up the music because I had turned it down low when I was lost. Am I the only one who turns the music off when I’m looking for something?
The music was on my favorite oldies channel and I was enjoying the “familiar” roads on my journey home.
And then…suddenly…just before my normal “bear right around the bend in the road” – Bob’s barricades showed up and the road was closed. Whoever put up the barricades had done a really poor job and should have put them up “way back” before the bend in the road. There was no one to direct my path and no way to back up.
I turned right between some barricades and the road I turned on became familiar to me. It was a road – a neighborhood- I hung out in when I was a teenager. Hung out means – where we went to “park” with our friends and have a good time. It had been more than 40 years since I had made my way around those streets but not much had changed except the people who lived in the houses. It was a neighborhood that had been left alone while new interstates were built above it and beautiful condos on the water were built on the edges of it.
For some reason, I knew which way to turn and as I came to one street and then another, I made the right turning decisions and found my way out of that neighborhood and could see my condo building looming ahead.
When I arrived at the parking garage, another birthday party attendee was parking their vehicle and shouted to me – “Glad you knew where you were going.”
They had followed me home through the twists and turns of the neighborhood and I didn’t know they were there.
We got in the elevator together and I asked them if they saw me lost in the party neighborhood. “No,” they said, “we’ve been there before so we knew how to get out.”
They recognized my car at the bend in the road of the construction site and followed me as I maneuvered through the old neighborhood.
I told them that was a familiar neighborhood to me and we laughed at how I knew that neighborhood – parking and parties from way back!
We wished each other good night and sweet dreams as we headed to our condos and our soft beds. When I climbed into my bed, lessons danced in my head. And here’s what I thought of my journey home:
- We are all headed home. Home means one day we will not be traveling anymore and our final resting place will greet us. It’s up to us if that resting place will be comfortable or restless. For me, I’m certain that mine will be heavenly. Why? Because I believe in the One who created me and the One who saved me. Jesus said He was going to prepare a home for me in heaven and I’m sure He’ll be leading me there when I take my final breath.
- Turn off the distractions and listen. When I turned off the radio, I was focused on listening to my intuition tell me which way to go. It may seem silly, but our soul speaks to us and sometimes we let distractions get in the way of important messages being sent to save us time, energy and sometimes, our lives. Learn to be quiet in the stillness of your life so you can hear your soul speak.
- Watch the road you take – others are watching you. There may be people following you who are looking for a way home. My condo neighbors were relying on me to know what road to turn down to get them home, There are others who are watching you daily to see how you live. Your impact on the world could be big if you lead a bunch of people to their heavenly home with you. You can do that through loving them, caring for them, supporting them, and teaching them about your faith. If they accept your faith, great. If they don’t, it’s not your worry. God only calls us to go and tell and He will take it from there.
- And last but not least – there will be “Bob Barricade” moments in your life. You may feel lost at times and wandering around with no hope and nothing to light your way. Stop and ask for help. If I had asked my condo neighbors how to get out of the new neighborhood, they could have shown me the way. Ask for help if you are lost or sad or disappointed or depressed. I promise you – this time in your life is only temporary. You will once again find yourself on the familiar road of your life with music blaring and you singing to the music. When those Bob’s Barricade moments show up – slow down, turn the distractions off, ask for help, and listen to your inner self guide you safely home.
Safe travels my friend and keep learning the lessons and try never to repeat them!
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