The Waymaker

This past week in the mountains, I spent a lot of time cussing out Google Maps. What good is Google Maps when you don't have service? None. Zero. Thankfully, I had just renewed my navigation system in my car in case Google Maps didn't work. Oh wait, that needs service too. I was scared and weirdly missing the days of Mapquest and printers and adding up miles and tenths of miles on the odometer before the next turn the paper told us to take.

It was just me and the kids and mountain roads. I kept asking them-- have we passed this before? Why the F isn't this loading!!!!! Do y'all remember that sign or that house on that curve? Why the F isn't this loading!!!! Placing the burden of remembering a sign on 3 kids sub-ten-years-old is not ideal.

In the back of my head, I can hear my mom before I leave for just about any trip; "Just listen to me. You'll go to McDonald's and take a right. Keep going and Sonic will be your left. Go about 20 miles and there will be a gas station on your right. Go about 9 more miles until you get to Wendys. They have clean bathrooms and the drive-through gets your order right." Who needs a map when you can travel based on the locations of fast food establishments? And every trip, I'm like ok ya I’m just going to plug it in to Google Maps. But then Google Maps fails again. And again. Like this spring when I was driving to the beach alone with the kids, and we’re on two-lane state roads and I need to pee like a racehorse and haven't seen a town or a gas station or a four-walled establishment in 40 miles. And I can't answer the phone when my mom calls because I'm like damnnnnn those wendys bathrooms 20 miles after the sonic would be awesome right now and also you were right and also I hope I don't run out of gas and die. Bury me with the kids somewhere nice will you?

But back to the mountains. We finally found the parking for the trail we were going to hike. We made it--and now we had printed directions for this trail from the hotel. Except that they were legitimately on crack when they wrote them. We started out, we turned around-- is that the first bend that they mean? Did we already pass it or is it still up ahead? While also asking, who owns the solo pick up truck in the parking lot because surely we were about to be kidnapped. Why are we hiking? Watch your step. Keep up. Slow down. Don't go too close to the side. Why are we hiking?

We finally came across human life and I asked them directions for the trail. They held up their phone and said, “do you have this all-trails app?”. Nope, definitely didn’t. Of course they then said “I’d text you the trail map but I dont have service.” Righttt. So instead we tried to remember lefts and second lefts and rights over footpaths that they told us.

We did end up reaching the waterfalls, but this “adventure” also taught us something more important. It reminded us about who our God is. He is always reliable. He is always available. Our maps and phones will fail us, but He never does. He is the Waymaker. His directions never need wifi. He is with us every step of the way. His directions are easy: Love one another.