“How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.”             Matthew 7:13-14

 Majella LoBello

How many of you have Google Maps in your car or on your phone? What a great tool this is. We just click on maps and let GPS do the rest. It guides us everywhere we are going, hopefully, without getting lost. Occasionally, we hear a story of someone who followed their GPS and ended up in the wrong place. That is usually because they forgot to do the updates. Getting lost can happen to anyone, but if we keep our GPS updated and follow the directions, getting where we are going is usually a smooth ride with little traffic. GPS makes the journey easier. 

On this journey called life, we all have the same destination pre-programed into our souls. Heaven, God willing, is our destination. The paths we take, and the roads we go down, are all quite different, but we all have one thing in common, God gave us GPS, God’s Positioning Satellite. The first download was the ten commandments. Then there was an update, and Jesus gave us the beatitudes. The next update, right after the beatitudes, was a big one. It was The Golden Rule, “do to others whatever you would have them do to you.” Then Jesus gave us the Lord’s Prayer and sent the Holy Spirit to be our co-pilot, to help us navigate all these updates. God gave all these updates to us to make our journey easier, but sometimes the easiest path can be the hardest. 

The rule of doing on others is not always as easy as it seems to follow. We all take wrong turns and become judgmental, controlling, selfish or unkind. I know I do and next thing I know I am in traffic heading down a dead-end street. Thankfully, our loving Father gave us all the maps and updates we need. If we follow the commandments, live the beatitudes, and pray to the Holy Spirit for the strength to be kind and patient with everyone, we will find ourselves going down fewer dead ends. None of us are perfect. We all take a wrong turn from time to time, but if we pray and listen, we will hear the recalculating voice, God’s voice, telling us where to make a U-turn to get back on track.

The journey can be long. There will be traffic and dead ends. If you get lost and hear recalculating, it is okay, that is God’s Positioning Satellite sending you directions and guiding you home safely. So, buckle up and enjoy the ride!