Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Psalm 119:105
(KJV)

This week, I had to fly to Wisconsin/Minnesota area to drive my sons home. They had been in an accident where they were both hurt and their companion, a young man very dear to us was killed. The car was totaled, so we gathered our belongings from what was left, picked through the things that did survive, and found the map to get us home. They had three maps in the car, two U.S. Atlases, and one Georgia Topography map showing all the back roads of Georgia. We had to pick the map that would get us back to Georgia because I knew absolutely nothing about the roads, so we chose a U.S. Atlas. We also had GPS in the car and on our phones, which we relied upon. Sometimes they were helpful, but sometimes, the instructions were not quite the correct instructions, and we made several mis-turns because we listened to the GPS. We also had local maps of areas where we stopped so that we could find the directions to get nourishment and necessities.

In life, we have many maps, some from voices around us, who like the GPS, get it right sometimes but get it wrong sometimes. We also have maps from our present location in life but are only helpful if we know where we are already. The Psalmist reminds us that God's word is a lamp to our feet to help us to see the road we are on. God's word is also a light to our path, so that we can see which road we should be on. Many people will choose other spiritual maps to guide them as they listen to society and other religions, and some will choose to go through life with no spiritual map at all. But when we choose God's word as our road map, we will always be told where we are (lamp), and where we should be (path) so that we will never be lost. We can correct our lives by listening to the right road map and by trusting in God's spirit to guide us in understanding that map.

This week, as we maneuvered all the details of the accident and all the things we had to do to get the boys well enough to travel, I have to admit that at times I felt lost. My mind kept going back to another scripture which I had learned as a child:
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him and he will direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

This week has been one of trusting in God for strength and for wisdom so for doing the best for all of us. God's word has been my road map for a long time, and the words comfort and provide strength for the situation I'm in (lamp), and they guide and give me strength and wisdom for whatever lies ahead (light).

Are you relying on God's road map, the Bible, the right map for your life?

Rev. Jan McCoy is the associate pastor of Covington First United Methodist Church in downtown Covington. She may be reached at jan.mccoy@ngumc.net.