Listening to That Little Voice

Today I had an unplanned adventure all because I did not listen to that little voice. You know the voice, that small quiet voice that says 'I should do this' or 'I should not do that'.

Well, I was planning to go to a Gospel Crusade meeting this morning. I got early so I could do all the morning preparations to be on the road in good time. As I was getting ready to walk out the door these two thoughts came to me; 'I should take my GPS with me' to which I replied 'I do not need my GPS today for I know exactly how to get to Karl's church--I have been there several times now. For those of you who do not know me very well, I have a tendency to get lost easily and I drive by landmarks not road signs as I am unable to read the signs until I am right on top of them.

Then as I was backing out of my driveway I had the thought 'I should not take the 403 because the exit for Hwy 52 might be closed due to construction.' I told myself 'no, it was open the other day. After I had been on the 403 for about 5 min I saw the road go down to one lane and it remained that way until just before the exit for Hwy 52. Now for the average driver getting over to another lane quickly is an easy exercise in driving--but for me who is blind in my left eye which means no depth perception--lane changes are something I don't do so well. Needless to say I could not get over in time as the cars behind me quickly shifted over to the right hand lane which was exactly where I needed to exit!!!

I still had lots of time to get to the meeting, or so I thought, so there was no need to panic yet. I would simply take the next exit and backtrack to Hwy 52. Little did I know that there is no other exit until Brantford. As the kilometres flew by my peace flew out the window with them. Several times I wanted to turn around in those places on the side of the road that have the signs saying 'Authorized Vehicles Only'. Could I justify it by telling myself that the ultimate RULER of the world had authorized me to use this handy U-turn. No, my conscience would not allow me to break that specific law of the land, even though I have been known on numerous occasions to break the speeding restrictions of the land!!!

So, I ended up in Brantford near the Lynden Park Mall--which made me VERY lost and VERY far away from my Gospel Crusade meeting!!! I saw a Tim's and decided that it would save the day. A coffee and something to munch on would help to calm my jangled nerves for sure. HOw quickly we humans turn to the natural comforts of food and drink!

First I had to investigate the women's washroom to rate it, for that has become my calling at this stage of life; to rate as many women's washrooms as possible on a trip. After using this washroom, I would have to rate it as being adequate but lacking in an adequate hand drying device as there are newer ones in some of the Tim's now. Not all was lost in the women's washroom though for there I found a kind soul who could tell me the most direct route to Hwy 5. This route was miles out of the way for me--but it was the ONLY road I knew the name of

to get to Karl's church. Now I understood why that little voice, which I choose to ignore, told me to bring along my GPS-augh!!! It was straight forward though--stay on the road I was on till I came to King George Rd, then turn right and follow it until I came to Hwy 5. I knew my way once I got to King George Rd.

Once I got to familiar landmarks, I began to calm down more and started to focus on God--which is always a good thing to do in such circumstances. I realized that I had a choice here, to either be frustrated and angry at myself and the circumstances or to turn it into a God adventure to see what the Father wanted to show me. Without any hesitation I opted for the latter. Now my eyes were looking for what treasures the Father had for me BEFORE the Gospel Crusade meeting.

The treasures were not hard to spot as I drove along Hwy 5. God the Father had some stunning nature sights for my spirit to receive from on that long road between Brantford and Copetown. The first was a beautiful green meadow over to the right as I drove. The land comprised of a slight hill and a huge valley area, covered with rich dark green grass flowing down to a small forest of trees and a small brown patch of dirt. The contrast of colours and texture caught me by surprise and my spirit burst into praises to God before I could even think about it.

The second treasure was a few kilometres down the road on the left. A small hill hid it at first but as I drove along my gaze captured this amazing field of lush green going on for as far as my eyes could see. I wanted to stop my car and enjoy the view but the meeting was calling me, so instead I savoured the vibrancy of the colours in the field and found myself taking deep breaths almost as if I was breathing in the life of that field even with my windows up.

My car continued on flying down the empty road in search of Karl's church, while my spirit rejoiced and thanked the Father for these magnificent gifts he had brought my way. I arrived at Gospel Crusade just minutes before the meeting was to begin. All I had missed was the coffee time. The meeting went very well and I received amazing spiritual food while I was there, in fellowship with others, and communion with the Father through a great time of worship.

Now as I reflect back on the day I realize that if I had listened to that little voice and not taken the 403 as well as bringing my GPS along, my trip would have been much shorter, resulting in less gas consumption and less stress on my part. I would have arrived at Gospel Crusade 30-45 min earlier and been able to visit with many of my friends and even meet a few new people, which would have been fun. But I can't help thinking about what I gained from this unplanned adventure.

Mind you I had to choose to alter my attitude and look at things through the eyes of gratitude instead of through the eyes of frustration and anger. The two hand picked gifts the Father gave me were exactly what would minister to my spirit. For some people I know, they get really excited about the birds they see flying in the sky or the wildlife running at the edge of a forest, but for me these sights are often missed as my eyes can not see them quick enough as the car is moving. That is what I love about God the Father, he knows exactly what will minister to each one of us; spirit, soul and body. For me it is the colour green and it is nature. The meadow and the field were right there on my drive but if I had not done an attitude adjustment I would not have been open to receive from them. Instead I would have been receiving from the frustration and anger.

How many times have we as human beings allowed our attitude, our emotions, or our frustrations to rob us of the treasures God the Father has placed right around us to feed our spirit?

I am afraid to think of all the times I have been robbed of such gifts from my heavenly Father.

I can't undo the past--but I can be aware for the future. I want to receive everything God the Father has for me. Don't you!!