Lost

 

 

 

 

Have you ever gotten lost? 

It can be frustrating as an adult, to not know where the hell you are, totally unfamiliar with your surroundings and not sure how to get back to where things are "normal". But, I think, as an adult, it is much easier to stop and take time to evaluate the situation, and, hopefully, figure out the solution.

But as a kid it can be a source of panic to be lost.

When I was about 7 or 8, our Cub Scout troop went to Six Flags over Texas. We had some supervision, of course, but as I recall, we had partners who looked out for each other. Me and my partner at the time had paused at the entrance of the dolphin show. (Note: All this is vague fleeting memories, so some details may not be quite accurate. I think it was a dolphin show, but it could have been something else...)

Anyway, as we stood there my partner wandered away and I was left there by myself. Me, this young kid in a big environment with no one near me that I recognized. I began to cry. Fortunately this was the late 60's, and people were more receptive to helping out strangers, especially crying little boys. A couple of kind adults looked around and found the rest of my troop and we were reconnected without much trouble. But it still had a profound effect on me.

As a result, for several years I was reluctant to stray far from my family or the adults in charge. Gradually I overcame this fear, but it took a long time to be completely comfortable with looking out beyond the familiar surroundings. Today I am much more comfortable with investigating the unknown. The GPS on my phone has proven helpful on occasion when I got too far off the beaten track, but I have always had an innate sense of direction.  Once, before I did have GPS, I was in west Austin, traveling back to San Marcos. I knew, generally, that San Marcos was south and east of me, so I just kept going east until I ran into a block and had to turn south, then if another block came up I headed east again. Eventually I ended up in familiar territory.

It is the same way with a spiritual journey. It might be easy to get lost, especially when I am trying to take things into my own hands and trying to manipulate the outcome to my own desired result. And, as is often the case, I end up even more lost than when I first started. The key to staying fit on a spiritual trek is to stop and let the inspiration from a higher spiritual being (for me, God) take the reins. If I quiet my own inner turmoil of not being able to resolve the issue on my own, and let God take control, the pathway becomes clear. "Let go. Let God." is an axiom I learned in my recovery program that helps keep me from delving into a panic when it looks like all is hopeless.

It may take hours of frustration at trying to solve the dilemma myself before I actually break down and ask for help from God, however.

In one particular instance I remember to this day: About 15 years ago I went to a convention in Irving (a suburb of Dallas - Ft. Worth). I checked into the hotel and got settled in my room, then went to the front desk to ask where I might find a store where I could buy some bottled water. The desk clerk directed me to a Walmart, which consisted of making two simple right hand turns and about a 2 mile drive. On exiting Walmart, I took the road back to the highway, but that section was blocked off due to construction.

As it turned out, the entire Dallas - Ft. Worth Metroplex highway system seemed to be under construction. I had to detour several times, due to ongoing construction, and basically went through just about every suburb in the area trying to get back to the hotel. In the end I had been driving around for about an hour and a half, getting more and more frustrated that I could not find the hotel. Finally, after I had become exhausted from trying to solve the dilemma on my own I just said a simple prayer, one that I should have said a lot earlier: "God, I can't find this hotel. Please help me."

As soon as I said that prayer, lo and behold, a few hundred yards up the road was my hotel. I am convinced to this day that if I had not said that prayer I probably would have driven right past the hotel, thinking that it was not the ne I was looking for. It's quite possible that I was close to it once or twice during the hour and a half that I spent trying to solve my own problem.

Getting lost does not have to end in defeat. Sometimes God can use that situation to help me find a closer relationship and dependence on him, rather than relying on my bullheaded independent streak. 

May your spiritual journey be fulfilling.

Quiggy