On the Road to Humility

On the way to an appointment, Laura Nelson grew in humility with the help of her GPS.

It’s usually a bad sign when you find yourself arguing with your phone. I know this. It makes no sense. Yet, I found myself doing it (again) recently as I was running late to an appointment. I turned on the GPS to get me to my destination in the most efficient way possible but I quickly started muttering, “Where the heck are you taking me? This isn’t the best route! I could do better than this!”

Despite my mutterings, I stuck with the GPS system doubtful but, at the same time, hopeful that I would learn a faster, more efficient route to my destination that would miraculously get me there on time. Perhaps the route that I’d always taken wasn’t the best route. Or maybe it wasn’t the best route today because of traffic or construction delays. After all, the GPS system has access to information about traffic patterns that I don’t. So, I decided to listen to my phone’s directions ... this time.

woman using GPS as she drives

On the road that day, I saw a glimpse of my interactions with God as I second-guessed my GPS.

You see, I often ask for God’s guidance and help and then quickly start doubting the guidance He gives me and the help He sends. I can easily imagine myself asking God, “Where the heck are you taking me?” or even, “I could do better than this!” I forget that He has knowledge about His Plan for me and for the world that I don’t. I forget that He always has my best interest in mind and that He’s trying to help me to get to my ultimate Destination in the most direct way possible. And so I ignore His directions thinking that my path is better than His.

Despite my stubbornness, does God get mad and give up on me when I ignore His directions? No, He doesn’t. Much like my GPS, He just recalculates my route persistently trying to get me back on the path to Him. It’s up to me to follow His directions or not.

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Much like my GPS, God just recalculates my route persistently trying to get me back on the path to Him. #catholicmom

If I’m being honest, I still don’t entirely trust my GPS. But, I did learn something important from it-If I can trust a machine enough to get me to a temporary destination, I can trust God, my Loving Father, to get me to the most important Destination of my eternal life.