GPS: Joy in my Travels

For forty days I'm deliberately choosing to find joy. To start from the beginning go here

For those who don't know, I've recently made a pretty significant move in my life. I graduated college last May and got hired by mission organization that is based in Carol Stream, IL (Chicago area). BIG move! My first three weeks in Chicago I spent with two other leaders from LeaderTreks (my company) running mission trips for three different churches that came into the area. Since I was always with someone else who was driving, there was no real need for me to know my way around the area.

The past two weeks I've been living in the suburbs and have been in charge of my own transportation for the most part. Knowing that I was moving to a much larger area than my tiny college town, I had purchased a GPS from a friend and boy has it come in handy.

However, as handy as it has been, I've also been working on knowing my way around without the GPS. I like the feeling of not being dependent upon technology. So today I went off to meet my friend at the office and then drive over to a park so we could slackline.So, right before noon, with the windows down enjoying the sunny 70 degree weather I drove off without turning on the GPS. I felt such joy in that moment that I knew the roads I needed to take just as well as my dear GPS did.

I felt such joy in that moment. I had absorbed what I had needed to know for my adventure today. I find joy in my gathering of knoweldge of streets in my head. In the same way, I gain joy from knowing scripture. Like my GPS, my Bible is meant to impart knowledge. I need to read it every day and use it to guide me through tough situations and read the black and white text in front of me. However, when certain situations arise that I have traveled through before, I have hidden scripture away in my heart that I may call upon it at that time. During that journey I do not need the physical Bible in my hands because I have the knowledge. How much joy I take in that fact.

There will come another day, probably tomorrow when I'll turn my GPS on to help me find something, and tomorrow morning I'll sit down to study the Word because I have not acquired all knowledge yet, but I find such joy in the moments when I realize I am storing away knowledge to be used when the situation allows.

So where did  God give you joy in your life today?