Maps

This week we are discussing the Holy Spirit as our Counselor.
If I think about the word “map” for very long, I am reminded of these insightful lyrics from the cartoon map character in “Dora the Explorer.”
If there's a place you got to get
I can get you there, I bet
I'm the map
I'm the map, I'm the map
I'm the map, I'm the map
I'm the map, I'm the map
I'm the map, I'm the map
I'm the map, I'm the map
(brief pause)
I’m the map!
Sincerest apologies to those of you who will now spend the rest of the day haunted by the memory of this song.
Maps are fantastic tools but must be used wisely. They don’t always tell the whole story. In college my track team was returning from an away meet in Arkansas and our inexperienced (and alarmingly young) chartered bus driver chose a “shortcut” that took us through part of the Ozark Mountains not suitable for a large bus, especially one full of young men who had recently expended great physical efforts and then loaded up on fast food without anticipating a twisty mountainous ride.
Recently in the news was a story about a parade of cars taking a harrowing path in the Sierra Nevada mountains during a snowstorm after their GPS’s sent them around a highway closure. The route was faster in theory, but the GPS app didn’t consider how treacherous it would be during a snowstorm. Of course, we have a more reliable guide than a cartoon map or an app…
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6 HCSB)
The Lord will guide us on the right paths, but He’s not one of the alternate voice options on our GPS’s. We must seek that guidance another way.
I have spoken these things to you while I remain with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit - the Father will send Him in My name - will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you. (John 14:25-26 HCSB)
God, please remind us what you have taught us. Show us the way. Give us the strength to reach the destination.
By Mark Stuart
If I think about the word “map” for very long, I am reminded of these insightful lyrics from the cartoon map character in “Dora the Explorer.”
If there's a place you got to get
I can get you there, I bet
I'm the map
I'm the map, I'm the map
I'm the map, I'm the map
I'm the map, I'm the map
I'm the map, I'm the map
I'm the map, I'm the map
(brief pause)
I’m the map!
Sincerest apologies to those of you who will now spend the rest of the day haunted by the memory of this song.
Maps are fantastic tools but must be used wisely. They don’t always tell the whole story. In college my track team was returning from an away meet in Arkansas and our inexperienced (and alarmingly young) chartered bus driver chose a “shortcut” that took us through part of the Ozark Mountains not suitable for a large bus, especially one full of young men who had recently expended great physical efforts and then loaded up on fast food without anticipating a twisty mountainous ride.
Recently in the news was a story about a parade of cars taking a harrowing path in the Sierra Nevada mountains during a snowstorm after their GPS’s sent them around a highway closure. The route was faster in theory, but the GPS app didn’t consider how treacherous it would be during a snowstorm. Of course, we have a more reliable guide than a cartoon map or an app…
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6 HCSB)
The Lord will guide us on the right paths, but He’s not one of the alternate voice options on our GPS’s. We must seek that guidance another way.
I have spoken these things to you while I remain with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit - the Father will send Him in My name - will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you. (John 14:25-26 HCSB)
God, please remind us what you have taught us. Show us the way. Give us the strength to reach the destination.
By Mark Stuart
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