Lost

I have this weird problem with getting lost easily. I tend to remember things being on the opposite side of the road from where they actually are. I also tend to transpose certain roads—mix them up.

When my kids were little I was afraid of being asked to be a driver on a field trip. Having lived in the same city for my entire life, I was embarrassed by how easily I got lost and afraid that this odd deficit of mine would get in the way. I bought a small car so that I could honestly say I didn't have room for other passengers. But still, one day my daughter's teacher said, "That's okay. You can drive your daughter. Every little bit helps." 

So… I got lost on the way to Bud’s Best Cookies. Very lost. And suddenly fear flooded my mind. Not just the fear of getting lost, but the fear of not having what it takes to do whatever was going to be expected of me in life, as a mom in particular. Have you ever gotten scared like that? Ever had one of those moments when your particular deficit stares you in the face and you wonder if  you just don't have what's necessary to get through life? It's a bad feeling.

Another bad feeling is getting to Bud’s Best Cookies so late that you and your daughter have to ride on the little train through the factory with a different class because your train already left. And it’s even worse if you cry really hard the whole time while wearing a silly looking paper hat.

Since the Bud’s Best Cookies incident I have cried that hard a few times, and most of them have been due to fear. Fear is awfully powerful isn't it? But truth is even more powerful. The truth is that getting everything right in life is just not that important. God's goodness is not hindered at all by my deficits or yours. Not even a little. My kids are teenagers now. They've seen me get lost countless times, and make all kinds of other much bigger mistakes as well, and it hasn't thwarted God's love or presence or provision for me, or for them. In fact, it's given them a picture of what it looks like to be an imperfect person finding hope and courage in a loving God. I'm perfectly qualified to do that and so are you. And that is what truly matters.

Isn't that wonderful? Isn't it a relief? And also, isn't GPS great?

~ Amy