Not A FanSample

Better Than GPS

I have a GPS on my phone, but I rarely use it. I usually tend to think I know where I’m going, even when I don’t. For the most part, every time I do use the GPS, it’s because I’ve already tried finding something myself but have managed to get lost. When I finally type the destination into my phone, the first question that comes on the screen is this: “Directions from current location?” In other words, “Do you want to start where you are?”

The answer to that question seems obvious enough, right? Of course I want to start from here. I’m not even sure where “here” is, but I’m confident that I want to start from here. And as soon as I answer that question affirmatively, the GPS begins calculating my route—not from where I started before I lost my way, not from the direction I should be headed or from a point farther along my journey, but from right where I’m currently located.

So why does such an obvious answer physically seem to elude people spiritually? I’ve discovered that the most common reason people give for not following Jesus is that they want to get their lives together first. They want to get a few things squared away or take care of some personal issues. They want to start their journey from somewhere else than where they are currently located.

When Jesus invites you to follow him, he wants you to start right now from your current location. You don’t have to go back to where you started. You don’t need to get a little closer on your own. He reaches out to you with grace and love and invites you to follow him. Feeling weak? Depend on his strength. Trapped in sin? Find freedom in his endless mercy. Been down this road before? Know that he is still patiently waiting for you to come home. Lost? Trust his directions. Jesus wants you to start following him from right where you are—and he wants you to start right now. It promises to be an incredible journey.