Map Reading Helpful - who knew?

Here's to hoping that our daughter is better with map than her mother!  Once Josh and I were leading a mission trip in Montreal, Canada for a youth group (Josh used to be a youth director in MN) and I was in charge of the map.  We were completely lost.  Josh finally looked over, took the map from my hands and turned it around.  I had been reading the map UPSIDE DOWN!  Boy was I ever embarrassed as our volunteers had been following us, making turns and all the while I was leading everyone in the complete WRONG direction!

Even when it comes to my GPS, I still need to know how to use the device in order to be able to get around.  As in all of life, if you are going to get somewhere, you need a plan and you need some tools.  I often make plans and have my tools (map/GPS) - yet how often am I really taking my plans before the Lord.  I do, yet I was convicted when I read this passage from Isaiah 30:

 ¹"Ah, stubborn children," declares the LORD,"who carry out a plan, but not mine,and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit,

   that they may add sin to sin;
² who set out to go down to Egypt,
   without asking for my direction,
to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh
   and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!"

I was convicted because - although I have a good tool (I think the Bible is the best map/tool of all because in it is the living Word of God - it is active, it is applicable, it is so many things I won't list them all, but feel free to add your own thoughts about it in the comments), how often am I seeking out God in His word?

And when I am holding the map, I want to hold it "rightly."  I don't want to be holding it "upside down" - or reading it how I WANT to read it.  So I need to ask God to help me discern what it says.

As I journey in life I want to be a child of God who asks for directions and is not too stubborn or proud thinking I can "find my own way."  When I do that, I am taking refuge in myself or in whatever I may be settling in at the time.

So I guess I can no longer say - "I'm just not good at reading maps!" ha ha ha! :)

It's All in the Attitude

Since the end of May, we were living in a motel room in Medora, North Dakota.  A tourist town with a population of less than 100 people, it was the smallest town I have ever lived in.  It was an adjustment in the beginning - I was used to being able to run to Walmart or Target when I was out of whatever or when I would get home and realize that the one thing I went to the store for is the one thing I forgot to pick up (there was no Target folks - not even in the town 30 miles away...which is where the Walmart was).  

But the strange thing was, after time, we settled into a routine, a way of life there in Medora.  I forgot about Starbucks and Malls and started using cash since the local places didn't take credit/debit cards.  And although the food wasn't the most amazing we had ever had, we grew accustomed to iceberg lettuce and daily Pizza Parlor trips. And truly, there are very nice people in Medora and it was great to be able to visit with them and get to know them. 

I noticed, however, that it almost became annoying to us when we had to wait in line at the Pizza Parlor. I was appalled once that there were no places to park in front of the Chuckwagon Buffet.  When the sidewalks were crowded during the 4th of July, I became flustered and irritated wishing that my small town would go back to it's peaceful ways where the flag ceremony with horses and boy scouts and music on the speakers happened at 6:30 every evening.  Then it hit me.  I had developed Entitlement.  

This was not my town.  I did not deserve any of the privileges that I had become accustomed to by living there.  And it made me start to think about how much my heart really thinks it's entitled to.  I'm not saying that God doesn't want good things for us - this is just between me and God.  But really, living in Medora has made me realize that I think I "need" a lot and "should have" this or that.  When in reality, everything is a gift from God and my heart would fare better in having a thankful attitude instead of a "woe is me" attitude.