Seven hours and 32 minutes. That was Google’s best estimate for our drive from Northern to Southern California. We would start the journey with a perfect split of shared driving. I would begin, and my husband would take over just as we entered the busy Los Angeles traffic, heading straight down the five freeway. Everything was going very well, the first few hours flew by. But then we reached the 4,000-foot elevation of the pass that divided north from south, and Google changed her mind. I’ll give her credit, traffic had stopped— a sea of fancy chariots creeping behind one another. So Google redirected, then recalculated, and if hindsight were foresight, we would have approached this trip differently. 

We followed Google as she directed us from one stalled segment of traffic to the next, navigating side streets, back onto the freeway, and into another parking lot. It felt like we were going in circles, and as we retraced our route, we truly were! After three hours of backtracking and detours, we finally arrived at our destination, a beautiful resort nestled in a valley and surrounded by some of the most stunning rock formations I’ve ever seen.

I share our trip navigation challenges because it confirmed that sometimes we shouldn’t trust Google (that wee little voice directing our path). Google took us on a three-hour detour to avoid a 30-minute slowdown—hours of aimless wandering to evade just a few minutes of stalled movement. Here’s the funny thing: we followed her wayward instructions. Don’t get me wrong, we often questioned Google’s guidance, but we had been led to foreign ground, and we felt our only option was to blindly trust her infinite wisdom.

As I sit writing this post, I’m looking over our room balcony onto the palm trees, a pond, and walls of green hills surrounding the resort. Our misdirected wandering is a fading memory dimmed by the surrounding beauty. But there is something to learn from our misguided trip—watch who you are following and never forget where you’re trying to go.

As a young woman, I listened to many divergent voices. Each led me down paths that kept me circling and striving to reach my final destination—a career, comfort, status… Please understand, not all the wandering was bad. I learned some significant lessons during the journey. However, much of the trip was spent recalculating and backtracking. Throughout that time, I lost sight of my true direction—the road I felt deep within my heart I needed to travel. In Proverbs 16:9, King Solomon writes, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” What I’ve come to understand is that He is the best guidance system we can ever have.

We are headed home in a few days. No, we aren’t following Google’s advice! We are taking the road that leads us directly home. It might take some time, but it’s a route we can trust, and we will take the time to enjoy the scenery along the way (even if it means sitting still for a while). 

I pray that you ignore the distracting voices that might be misguiding you and stay firmly grounded on the path God is leading you. It might be slow, a little bumpy, and frustrating at times, but the result is so worth the wait.

Be blessed,

P.S. Our trip home was without one delay. Well, accept for the stop at this wonderful little vegetable stand. 😉