Friday, December 5, 2008

Holy Spirit - named Sally

Like lots of guys, my husband loves electronic toys and recently purchased a GPS. And like many wives, I don’t always “appreciate” the new toys. I can read maps and have a great sense of direction, why do we need another electronic toy? So....

We’ve only been to my friend’s lake house once or twice, and my husband decided to use the GPS and see how it took us there. The GPS’s voice “Sally” tells us to go beyond the road where we have turned before. Then it takes us on a dirt road/path that is a dead end. “Sally” failed. All the while, I’m thinking why are we going a different way, when we already know the way. While I did not verbally say "I told you so" after 10 years of marriage, my husband knew what I was thinking.

In all fairness to my husband’s love of electronic toys, I did steal “Sally” the GPS unit when I went downtown Detroit searching for some obscure streets. “Sally” recalculated every wrong turn I took and still got me to my end distinction. I was very glad to have her with me.

Silly as it may sound, I think that there are some similarities between “Sally the GPS” and the Holy Spirit.

I program in my desired end destination, to become my true-self in Christ. Then I follow the directions provided on the monitor. But frequently I ignore the route provided for various reasons. The kids and I are talking and I honestly get distracted and miss a turn; or I consciously chose to make a detour and stop somewhere else; or I know of a better way and ignore her directions.

Amazingly “Sally” recalculates my route with my end destination in mind. No matter how many times I take wandered off the prescribed path, “Sally” recalculates or re-orients me to my desired destination. “Sally” never yells at me, “Hey stupid, you just missed your turn again;” or complains, “Why bother to have me if you are going to ignore me?” She never comments on my decisions, she gently and non-judgmentally, guides me so that I am re-oriented back towards my end destination.



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