13 Apr, 2009
Where do you get your directions?
Man Follows GPS ... to the Edge of a Cliff
By PETER MYCHALCEWYCZ
A British man successfully tested the boundaries of human stupidity when he followed his car's GPS navigation system to the edge of a cliff.
West Yorkshire Police told the BBC that "officers received a call at 11:18 a.m. on Sunday, March 22 reporting that a BMW was hanging off the edge of a cliff off Bacup Road."
The driver, Robert Jones, had apparently decided not to disobey the navigational system's orders, even when he found himself on a steep, narrow footpath. He eventually stopped when the car hit a fence at the top of the aforementioned cliff.
Jones has been charged with "driving without due care and attention." We would like to charge him with being a moron, but that is (according to the Switched legal team) not a crime. At least the car stopped short, and he now has a lifetime to redeem himself in the eyes of everyone he knows.
Story & photo courtesy bbc.com, 4/07/09
Proverbs 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
What does Today's Story tell us about who we get our directions from?
The poor man in today’s story thought he was following a trusted source who would never lead him astray. The problem is while he was listening he threw out all common sense and his own wisdom. He could see that the path he was headed down didn’t seem right and yet he kept going.
The verse in Proverbs tells us that this is all too common in the world. People think the path they are headed down seems right and find that in the end it was trouble. Sometimes people know the path they are on seems wrong, like the man with the GPS, and yet they often keep going anyway.
Have you ever listened to your friends and made decisions to head down a path that didn’t seem quite right and yet you kept listening to your friends until it was too late?
God gives us a few special gifts to help in this area.
One, he gives us brains to use. Our brains process all we are seeing and hearing and add our experiences from the past to help us make good decisions. Sometimes we refuse to listen to what our head is saying. If it looks like trouble, it probably is.
The other gift God gives us is his Holy Spirit. This is the voice that should be the loudest in our lives. Think of it as your own personal GPS system. When we choose to follow Jesus, he promises to help us make good decisions. We can trust that when we are following Jesus it is always down a path that is right for us. Although the path is sometimes rocky and unclear to us at the time, we can trust God’s leading. It is often the Holy Spirit that we are hearing when something just doesn’t feel right. We get a gnawing in our heart and head that says, “Don’t do it. Choose another way.” When we “hear” that, we need to double check that we are listening to Jesus and not the other voices in the world.
How can we connect Today's Story & God's Story Scripture to our own lives?
Feel like you are headed down a path that may be leading you away from Jesus? Check in with your “spiritual GPS”, the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to make it clear to you about the decisions you should be making. Then wait and listen and see if God redirects your path.
How can we connect Today's Story, God's Story Scripture, and our story to our friends?
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Tell a friend who doesn’t yet know Jesus about the man who followed his GPS down a cliff. Then share with your friend about a time you were headed down the wrong path and how Jesus rescued you.
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Have a friend who you feel certain is headed down a path that will lead to trouble? Ask them about it. Chances are they may be feeling like it is wrong and are just waiting for someone to help them figure out a new direction.
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