Skipped, Missed, or not there!! written by Bambi Lynn

When my children were little, we did an experiment, where they would need to write down the directions on how to make a Peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Each one wrote down the directions step by step and then they passed their directions with the ingredients to one of their siblings. All of them were very confident until the person they sent over the directions to couldn't even get the bread opened because they forgot to tell the person to twist the tie and opened up the bread wrapper. Some kids got past that directions only to get to the part that they needed a knife to spread the peanut butter or the jelly. Directions weren't followed because assumptions were made. But when it comes to directions that others need to follow, we must have the details as if the person has never made the peanut and butter and jelly sandwich before. We all really wanted that sandwich but, the directions were a flop.

Years ago, I had met a guy through my travels in the census bureau, that for a living he made direction manuals for Home Depot products. Home Depot would send him a product and he had to make sure the directions were correct and if not rewrite them. I thought it was an interesting job, not one I would want. I thought it was a lot of work and pressure to make sure the pieces came together. Sometimes he had to totally rewrite the direction and figure out the mistakes on his own. People were counting on him to have the directions right and if not, I can only imagine that household as someone is trying to get the pieces together only to be frustrated because a mistake has been made with the directions.

My Job with Nielsen, they sometimes have directions that have been sent to us, as you are following their direction you are getting frustrated because something isn't coming together or doesn't feel right, you then have to call into the main office and be put on hold. When it is finally your turn, they tell you that a step had been missed and you're not the only one that has called. Sometimes you feel like they do this on purpose, so you feel like an idiot because you couldn't figure it out yourself. directions and steps are important to follow and to have all the steps to succeed.

 My son recently gave me his step-by-step directions for me to send out my own blog email. I was really happy that he took the time to give me directions, knowing I just couldn't do it by him telling me. I was happy he put the time into for me, that finally I was going to be able to do one more thing on my own for my business and my website. I was excited to get it done by myself and tell him I did it. Well, I followed his steps only to get frustrated. I tried over and over again, and I just couldn't get it. I didn't want to call him and tell him that, so I spent until 12:30 at night to get it right with no prevail. I finally called him in the morning, and humbled myself, only to find out he skipped a step. well, a few steps. That there was no way I could have figured it out. I was relieved it wasn't me. he assumed I knew some of the details because to him it was common sense. A valuable lesson was learned, Mom needs detailed and every step to do my tasked. I ended up erasing things and getting mad at myself. Thank God my son knew how to fix it and decided to do that newsletter for me that week. I am still waiting for us to get together for me to learn the steps myself. Definitely is something I should be doing myself. I continue to learn how valuable directions really are.

I thought and still think that the GPS is and will always be the greatest invention made for women and mankind. A device that tells us step by step how to get somewhere, Genuis!  For some of us reading a map just didn't cut it and it left us staying home because we had no way to understand the details of latitude to longitude and the highways and byways. The GPS will get you to where you need to go but, sometimes it takes you to twist and turns that never made sense. If you choose to go your own direction while the GPS is on, it will continue to redirect you over and over again. You either need to follow until the end or turn it off and follow your own directions, you can't have both when it comes to the GPS. That thing takes its job seriously. If you are asking for directions, then let the GPS do its job to get you to your destination safely.

God has given us a step-by-step manual on how to live life. He has given us directions in detail on how to live a life of wholeness, he has taught us in this manual what is good for us and what is not a good idea. This manual teaches us on how not be lead astray. It teaches us that we have someone that we can go to if we don't understand the directions. Like all Manuals we sometimes think we can do it on our own. We sometimes think just looking at the pictures we give us all the details we need, only to find out we flopped the whole thing and had to redo what he had already done. The Bible is a perfect manual for our lives but, we choose so many times to put it aside and do our own thing. To only pick it up when things get tough or blame the manual when something goes wrong only to confess, we did use the manual. We are all guilty of that in times of our lives. We want to blame the manually when it wasn't that at all. God gives us the directions we need. He even tells us even how to get through the storms of life, he gives us directions on how to be healed, how to deal with the enemy, how to seek him for our children and relationships. but we first for some reason want to do it ourselves. We skip over the manual only to go running back to him and ask him, Why?? only for him to lead us back to the manual and his direction. Following Gods manual isn't always easy, I think that's why we sometimes want to do things our way because we thought it would be easier with the manual.  The older I get the more I realize that his manual is the way to go. It's better to read the directions every day so we don't get lead astray. Then I don't find myself alone but, with him by my side.

 I have learned some valuable lessons over the years on how directions are a good thing for our lives. You may be able to do things by yourself sometimes, but it will catch up to you. You will look back and see how you made things so much harder for yourself by just not listening to the directions and choosing to come up with your own. When we take even a small step on our own without following the directions it changes the plumbline and it is always hard to get back to the right measurement or the right path. Take the manual of life and read it and follow it. you may not have it easy but, you will have God with the answers for the next direction. The directions aren't to take away from your life but to add to it. A life of abundance. Sometimes the abundance isn't about fame and fortune but about the peace that passes all understanding as you walk in his path using his manual.

   Just food for thought, as you continue to Journey this thing called life.