By Lois Hewitt

I will never forget Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  I still have nightmares.

We were on our Epic Journey having just spent two wonderful days/nights in Buffalo, Wyoming. We were continuing on our way west to the Pacific Ocean.

Mike had planned our route using an atlas, we also had a Trip-Tik from AAA and we had a GPS in the car.  By this time, we had gone off the original route and were depending on GPS.

Jackson Hole was the next stop and our GPS said it would be a few short miles on a back road, so we proceeded.

To call this road a cow path would have been over-stating the thing we were driving on. The ruts in the “road” were probably made by covered wagons.  We kept thinking that we must have taken a wrong turn but the GPS kept showing us on this route.

The short bit of road to travel literally took hours because we could not travel fast for fear of hurting the car in the road crevices.  This trip languished on and on.  Once in a while a giant pick-up truck would scream by, not even hiding their annoyance with the car with out of state plates.

I was a complete wreck and I’m sure Mike was, understandably, freaking out although he never let on.  There was no end in sight, it just kept going and when we finally arrived in town, it was way out of our price range.  A total failure.

In retrospect, we think our first-generation GPS may have been confused. Many times on that trip we found ourselves in precarious situations. 

We should have relied more on the good old Rand McNally to get us around. We placed too much stock in, what was at the time, a newer technology. 

The Tail of the Dragon and the road over the mountains from Gatlinburg to Asheville, were just two more horrifying roads we ended up on. As  GPS showed smooth sailing and it was anything but. I still have anxiety over parts of that trip.

We really depended on a new technology to steer us in the right direction, when we also had access to more tried and true modes of guidance. It just seemed like the newer mode had to be more reliable. And that was not the case.

The world today is similar to our trip to Jackson Hole. Today, we rely on the world to guide us on the road of life.  Celebrities and shiny products are our beacons. Influencers and social media are highlighting the way. 

The only problem is they are wrong about the terrain.  As we listen more to the world, it is taking us down a narrow, hole-filled cow path.  But we think it’s better because it’s new and attractive.

The true way is God’s way.  His instruction is not influenced by the newest thing or the shinest baubles.  His word is tried and true, most of which is opposite of the new world we live in.

I have used the world’s guidance system many times in my life. Foolishly looking to a celebrity for wise life advice.  Thinking a new thing would bring peace.  Using alcohol and sugar to bury the fact that what I was doing wasn’t working.

It is so easy to fall for the sweetened lies the world tells.  You think that road is the correct one.  But the truth is God has a map for you and your life.

It may not involve flashing lights and groovy music, but it is a life of righteousness and peace that exceeds all peace from the world. Plus so much more.

I no longer want to travel down the world’s path.  I want God’s road and although it’s not always a smooth road, it is the right one.  God is my navigation system.