Today I’m remembering a John Denver song from my youth. “Lost and alone on some forgotten highway, traveled by many remembered by few. Looking for something that I can believe in, looking for something that I’d like to do with my life.”
Easily Lost
Lost! We all get lost sometimes. Some more than others. I’m good with directions, but not my wife. For Lizzy, getting lost is easy. I’ve learned to enjoy experiencing this with her, because we can go to the same place, but for her it is a new experience. This characteristic seems to have been passed on to our daughter. As a young adult, Whitney coached a dance team. For me, this meant spending lots of time at dance competitions watching the girls on her team compete. We would visit cities all over the mid-west, and, in most years, we would end the season with a trip to Walt Disney World to compete at the national competition. But, there were many competitions to win before arriving at the nationals.
For her this meant, traveling. Often waking up very early, 4:00 a.m., to drive to the city hosting the competition. I remember one morning vividly, because I received a call waking me very early. Lost! She was traveling with her co-coach from our house to Port Huron, MI and they were lost. She had been driving for an hour before she finally called me. I asked her to tell me some roads or landmarks, guideposts that I could use to provide her with directions, to get her back on the path.
She told me what she saw out the car window, a few roads, a building. I quickly realized they were nowhere near Port Huron. They had missed a guidepost along the way, taken a wrong turn early in their driving, and were in downtown… Detroit. Sixty miles from their destination.
Don’t Miss the Guideposts
Sometimes, it is easy to miss the guideposts and get lost in life. Recently, in my morning devotional I read Jeremiah 31:21 and the word guidepost jumped off the page.
“Set up road signs; put up guideposts. Take note of the highway, the road that you take. Return, Virgin Israel, return to your towns.” – Jeremiah 31:21
Becoming lost or disoriented as a follower of Jesus is a common experience for most of us. As we travel the roads of this life, we are forced to travel new paths. We sometimes feel we have lost our way, our perspective, and our connection to God… and each other. Sometimes, it seems we have traveled a great distance without seeing a guidepost.
What have you prayed for that you feel God has not answered? Do you sometimes feel he is not listening? Do you feel he is not even there, so why pray? Perhaps, you are praying for a job, healing, a spouse, a child, a home, school, etc. and you have become discouraged and feel “lost and alone.” If that is you, Look for a guidepost, a sign to point you to the good things he is doing in your life and the lives of others. I pray that God sends someone to help share their story, the reason for the hope that is within them.
Our Story
Perhaps our own story is the most helpful thing we can give to others. We must share those moments when a guidepost appeared that sent us in a new direction or connected us to paths along the road that led us to God. Since, we are not yet ready to meet in person, because of COVID-19, and offer our testimonies face-to-face, I give you this challenge. I ask you to go on Facebook and respond to this message, writing a comment, sharing a testimony. And, take a moment to read the testimonies of others, and reply to them. I believe this will be a powerful experience for us all.
The Apostle Paul told the Corinthian church, “Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men” ( 2 Corinthians 3:2). Let’s open our lives and be God’s epistles today, sharing the testimonies that He has given us.
I am not “lost and alone on some forgotten highway.” I am thankful for the many people who have shared with me their stories and placed guideposts on my path to point me in the right direction. Today, allow the love of God to work through you and demonstrate your care for someone, so the world may know the love of our father.
Copyright © 2023 Chuck Locklear