Sense of direction is not one of my gifts. I know it’s not on the Biblical list with mercy and serving and so on, but it has to be on a list somewhere. Either you have it or you don’t. I marvel at someone who can emerge from a building and instantly know which direction to go. I stay lost. I think it’s a defect my parents just didn’t want me to know I had.

I’ve lost count of the number of hotel room doors that have failed to open because I was on the wrong wing or floor. Parking lots and garages make my palms sweat and athletic arena’s are like giant mazes to me. I’m sure security camera replay films entertain the security guards. “Look Sam, there goes that blonde woman, again!”

I have learned to find a landmark to remind me of my location and which way to go. Signs, furniture, and artificial plants have become my friends offering directions.

My Dad’s health is seeing it’s ups and downs. A few days ago was a down day. He had dozed off on the couch and when he woke up he told his helper he wanted to go home. She said, “Look around. You are at home.”

He looked blankly around the room. Then he saw the watercolor Jason painted for my mom when he was in high school. It still has the First Place and Best Of Show ribbons hanging on the frame. He grinned and said, “Now I know.”

The painting offered him direction, a reminder of where he was. It’s become kind of a true north for him. After you find that, then everything else makes sense. We all need an anchor to steady us, guide us and remind us where we are and where we’re going. What’s true north for you?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” -Proverbs 3:5