Daily Wisdom 06-08-2005 Lost-Not, the TV Show

Mapquest (Internet mapping tool for finding your way anywhere) is usually great. But travelers cannot get where they want to go on Mapquest alone; at least I can't. I need the big picture.

My husband and I recently spent a very frustrating 45 minutes in the dark trying to find our daughter's new location in the suburb of a major metropolitan area. I had her address, and I had Mapquest (or Yahoo or whatever service you use). But, stupidly, I had not looked at the city map and identified precisely which part of the very dense suburbs we would find her in. So we had step-by-step instructions for the last few blocks, but after one missed road (that we didn't know we'd missed), we lost all bearings and ultimately wandered so far that we were looking in an area two miles away from where she lives. If I hadn't had a bigger atlas to turn to, we would have searched all night.

The big picture is what I like about flying. I like climbing to 10, 20 or 30,000 feet and then seeing the ground and the antlike existence of humans. From high up, the cars and trucks on freeways and highways do look like ants, although, curiously, their speed is greatly slowed down. It is as if the whole world below is in slow motion, in a different time zone.

Step out a few notches further and imagine the the view from the perch on which the Almighty sits. The Almighty not only gets to see the antlike earthlings scurrying about, but also views the earth, sun and moon in their orbits, and knows all the galaxies far, far away. The Bible says that the Almighty actually cares about each little bird and gasps when the sparrow falls.

But back to earth and that night in suburbia: my husband and I almost lost it. I was almost frantic and emotional; he was angry. I kept trying to call my daughter's cell phone but it was not turned on and I could only leave messages. I suspected that she had gone to a movie where she had to turn it off since she was not expecting us until later. Neither of us was well rested. Now, at 9:30 p.m., we had ended up being as lost as the poor creatures on that popular TV show.

Finally, he said, "Let's just go home." It was just two hours away. I countered, "She'll be so disappointed," but I knew that his patience and energy wouldn't last much longer. Mine had run out, too.

"Well, you call and tell her then," I said, dialing the cell phone and handing it to him.

Miraculously, Michelle answered this time. She was in the underground Metro station and we had caught her before she lost contact again. Needless to say, we stayed, she got home, we finally found out where we were (although it wasn't easy even then with two cell phones, maps and an atlas.)

Did the Almighty care about this mamma and pappa bird wanting to connect again with their recently-left-the-nest bird? I don't know, but I do know that being lost and not knowing how to get where you want to go is a terrible feeling. Just as having the bigger, overall picture of a location is helpful when trying to find your way by Mapquest or any other map, in the same way it is helpful to know the bigger picture in life and have an idea of where you're headed.

In the grand scheme of the Almighty, two lost parents and one daughter wanting to connect were mere dots on the highway of forever. Yet somehow, I felt that it was one of those moments when it seemed like there was someone up there helping connect the dots. I know that is dangerous to say because there are plenty of times when things don't work out. Sometimes even terrible tragedies happen that make us question God. At those times we can only say that God does care, even about the sparrow that falls. He gasps, He grieves with us, and wraps loving arms around all who mourn. I think that's how God helps us understand the big picture.

If you're interested, there is more information about:
The most important event of all time and
The most important Book of all time.