Disobedient and Directionless

A few months ago I took a Sunday-afternoon hike in the mountains near where I live. It was a perfect sunny day and I really enjoyed myself. But on my way back, I missed a turn and walked far out of the way – so far that I ultimately had to hike down to the highway below and call a friend to come pick me up, as dusk was coming on. The problem was, I had not paid close enough attention to my map.

At least I didn’t get lost while using a GPS unit. Oh wait – I’ve done that too. Back in June 2009, just before I left for Cape Town, I was in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Albuquerque’s dominant landform is 10,378-foot Sandia Peak, which can be accessed via an aerial tramway, on foot, or by automobile. On my last day in the city, I had a few hours to kill before my flight home, so I decided to drive up. I had a GPS in my rental car and figured I could easily find my way.

I didn’t even have to type in an address because Sandia Peak was already included in the unit’s listed area attractions. Easy enough – just hit “enter” and go. But the trouble began when I didn’t listen to the first instruction (“turn left”) and went the opposite direction on the freeway. When the GPS recalculated and told me to turn around, I thought to myself, “But it makes more sense the way I’m going now. The mountain looks closer this way. I’m sure the GPS will still lead me there.”

I passed exit after exit, with the GPS informing me it was “recalculating” each time. Eventually I must have passed some unseen point of no return, because it began giving me a new route in the direction that I had insisted on going. That route turned out to be 25 miles to the other side of the mountain and ended at a rough gravel path. It was not a surface my lightweight compact car could endure and certainly not the accepted tourist route up to the peak.

By the time I backtracked and tried to go the original route, time was running short and I was due at the airport soon. I was extremely disappointed in myself for making such an easily avoidable mistake and missing a great opportunity to see one of Albuquerque’s scenic attractions. But if we’re to learn from our mistakes, I figured there was a good lesson in this one. Clearly it pays to follow the directions of an expert, even if it’s from a pocket-sized gadget that speaks in a computerized female voice.

So it is with God’s commands. A lot of people tend to think our heavenly Father is out to spoil our fun. But the fact is, His instruction is given with our best interest in mind. Throughout the Bible we are exhorted to obey. King Solomon, a renowned possessor of great wisdom, wrote, “He who obeys instructions guards his life” (Proverbs 19:16). And Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and obey it” (Luke 11:28). The message is clear: Obey the One who knows all and you’ll never be lost.