Lost in a Maze

I arrived frustrated and frazzled at the destination where my niece and I planned to have lunch.   Along the way I became hopelessly lost in the maze of the parking lot at the mall.  Don’t laugh.  If you’ve never been lost in a mall, it’s because you’ve never been to the Galleria in Tyson’s Corner, VA.  It’s a nightmare to this Marylander, as are the highways that I must travel just to get there.  The mere thought of accidentally getting caught up in the frightening tangle of HOV lanes and not being able to get off until I reach China grips me with the gut-wrenching fear that I may never be seen or heard from again.

I called my niece to tell her that I was hopelessly lost and in her kind and gentle way, she provided me with the directions that I needed to get myself back on track.  That said, she told me that she was going to hang up, park, get a table, and wait for me.

“Nooo” I pleaded! Please don’t leave me! Please hang in there with me until I get there!  She did, I got there, and we found each other in the parking lot, gave each other a gigantic hug, and headed toward lunch.  What a blessed relief!  God bless her.  God bless cell phones.

“You’re going to turn this into a blog,” she quipped before we had even entered the building.  I hadn’t considered the possibility, but since she put the idea into my head, I thought, “Why not?”  It seemed like a fairly reasonable challenge—certainly one that was easier than finding the Cheesecake Factory amidst the myriad of storefronts and garage entrances.

It’s bad enough to be lost in the mall, but add to that the fact that it’s not the first time I’ve done it.   Oh no, no. It happens every time I dare venture into the mystery maze of the Galleria.  Repeating a mistake over and over is enough to send me into a wailing fit of “Why God?  Why do I keep doing the same stupid thing again and again?  When will I ever learn?“

Well now, isn’t that just the question of the century!?  Why God?  Why do I keep doing the same stupid thing again and again?  When will I ever learn?

Like dear Connie, God is patient.  God is kind. God listens to and hears my desperate calls for help.  God waits for me and hangs in there with me as I bumble my way through life making wrong turns and bad decisions, and while I blindly stumble along making the same mistakes over and over, mistakes that leave me feeling befuddled, frustrated and stupid.

But it’s all okay, because just like Connie, God will be there to provide gentle guidance along the way, wait for me, and when I arrive, He’ll rejoice because I finally made it to my destination.  It’s always reassuring to know that no matter what, I’ll find my way back home.  He knows that I will, and I know that I will—it’s just a matter of when.  Now would be good.