GPS

Do you know what GPS stands for?  Global Positioning System.  Well I had a great big encounter with my GPS the other night.  I had gone across TN about 45mins. to get a haircut.  My mom gave me some money and told me to go get a manicure and pedicure too for an early birthday present.  I was super excited to take a break from the "chaos" of life even though at first I hesitated even going.  I got my nails and toes done then ventured looking for a haircut place.  Well they were all closing and then I saw the mall was still open.  I thought surely I could find a place there.  First place I went they were not doing any more haircuts that day.  They sent me to another place upstairs.  I got up there and the man said no then a voice from the back yelled "come back in fifteen minutes.  I was so relieved as I didn't know when I would get the chance to get a haircut again!  I returned and met this wonderful woman who was ready to cut my hair.  I explained to her I felt like some of my hair was coming out well a lot to be exact what could be the cause?  She then asked if I had been under any stress lately.  I burst into laughter.  I couldn't help it.  It was either that or tears and laughter is what happened to be what came out that night!  I explained I was the mother to four children, we were eleven hours from home, my six year old son has cancer, it had been a month since I had seen my husband, did I need to go on?  She proceeded to tell me that she was a recovering drug addict.  She had been clean for two years.  We talked awhile and I told her how much I appreciated her willingness to cut my hair.  She said a saying that I say often, God works in mysterious ways."  She also said it was a divine appointment something had just told her to cut my hair.  I got her card and told her if I got the chance for another haircut I would definitely come back to her!  Was it by chance I had been "re-routed" to four different hair salons?  Not at all.  What I forgot to mention was there was a really bad storm moving in right as I was walking into the mall.(1hour before closing)  I was hoping to avoid the storm completely.   I left the mall after 9PM and headed for home.  When I got in the car there was still a lot of cloud coverage and lightening.  My GPS had another idea other than going home.  I was going along following its' directions when all of the sudden it lost its signal.  I was traveling down a very dark road.  A road without lights, a road with exits that didn't look promising.  Then suddendly the exits stopped and the road ended.  I was completely lost.  I was quoting Phillipians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.  I was saying every verse that came to mind.  I then decide to call Carlton and get him to get on Google maps and see if he could talk me back to the house where we are staying.  Just having his voice on the phone was a sense of comfort.  I went into sheer panic when two big dogs started chasing the car.  I screamed so loud and burst into tears.  I don't watch horror movies but imagined that it would be just like this!  Poor Carlton didn't know what had happened to me.  I have never been and felt so lost in my life.  I continued down numerous dark and scary roads till at last I came to a familar road.  I breathed a sigh for a few minutes.  I got about ten minutes from the house and two more dogs ran out in front of me.  I laid on the horn and then not but about a block later there was a mailbox on fire. Then my cell phone died.  Ok so by this time it was about 11PM and I arrived at the house ran right passed my mother who was waiting on the porch(holding Callie Rose), to go call 911 and report the mailbox on fire.  I hung up the phone and fell to pieces.  I was shaking and crying hysterically.  Carlton was calling the house to make sure I had arrived.  He talked with me up until my cell phone died.  Needless to say what had been a relaxing evening turned chaotic very quickly.  I am so thankful that I don't put all of my faith and hope in an object.  My lesson in all of this was faith, trust, and a whole lot of praying.  Faith is believing in what you can't see.  Well I couldn't see my way home on the GPS, much less the road in front of me.  I was trusting God to get me out of this situation and help me find my way home.  All the while praying for the faith to trust God and not panic.  Thanking God for giving me a husband who was home and could look at a map and talk me back to safety.  So just remember not to rely only on the things right in front of and around you because often they can fail you.