Lost

Today I drive back to Rochester as soon as class ends. I don’t know how it happened, but I got off on a wrong road. It didn’t seem like a wrong road because I never turned. The road was the same road I had been on for miles. If I were going to get lost, it would have been in Chicago as I twisted through the maze of on and off ramps, express lanes, local lanes, streets coming and going. I got through all that just fine.

In fact, I was quite relieved to be on 90 and 80 – they run together for a period of time, then 90 splits off near Cleveland. So I blithely drove along, marking the distance to Cleveland with a satisfied sense of accomplishment. Suddenly I didn’t see Cleveland listed on the signs. Instead, Youngstown was listed. “That’s odd,” I thought. “I don’t go anywhere near Youngstown. Something isn’t right.” By the time I was able to get turned around and consult a map (gosh darn AAA who gave me the wrong directions so their map was no help) I had traveled a whole hour south of where I needed to be. Where had I missed a sign for the turn off to 90? Between construction, the big trucks, and decrepit signs with the lettering illegible in the dark, I simply hadn’t seen any instruction for staying on the right road. Rats!

I was beside myself. At 1am in a strange state an older woman traveling alone, the last thing you want is to be lost. I asked a few employees of the rest stop what was the best way to get back on track. They were no help at all. I suspect they had never traveled far from home. I finally decided to take a small road north that seemed to connect to 90 rather than travel all the way back to Cleveland even though I could take the superhighway. I was tired and needed to get out of there and back on track soon.

It was a real gamble. “Lord, please help me,” I prayed. I gulped and turned off the expressway. The road was straight on the map but twisty and turny to drive. There were pockets of fog, and I was extremely glad I had filled up with gas because there was NOTHING open. I had forgotten what its like to travel the rural byways of America. They roll up the sidewalks early.

My biggest concern was that the road wouldn’t have an entrance for 90. Several times I almost lost the route as it wound around little towns with one way streets. What on earth am I doing here in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night far from home and everyone and everything I know? Surely this can’t be right. I have no idea how this will turn out – no control over anything.

Life is so often like that. You suddenly find yourself in a scary place through no fault of your own, and you just want to get out of there and back on track. The words of a scripture verse memorized long ago came floating back. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and he shall direct your paths. If ever I needed direction, this was it.

I take comfort in knowing that regardless of where I am, God is there. In fact, I can still see the moon He created – the same one I see from my window at home and from the dorm room in Concordia. At long last, there was the sign for the onramp of Route 90. Thank you Lord! Back on track. Now if I can just get my life to do the same thing!