One of the things I do remember from my geography lessons at school was that a map was not much use without orientation (showing where north is) and scale (showing us how far things are from each other.)
My friend still laughs at my lack of spatial awareness, which means I have to physically turn a map around so that I am walking in the direction the map says. I can’t just look at it and do the orientating in my head. It messes me up to be walking in the opposite direction to the way the map appears to me. Left and right become confused and I get lost!
Orientation is extremely important in life. We need fixed points (hence the usefulness of a compass) to work out the direction to go. Orienteering – using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in unfamiliar terrain – is a very useful skill to possess.
Sometimes, life seems to leave us disorientated and confused. What should we do? Where should we go? We need a moral compass as well as a literal one at times!
Just as God has provided fixed points by which we can navigate, so too He has given us fixed points, anchors, in the moral maze of life. His word and His Spirit are our guides through life, directing us and leading us back to Him, our ultimate destination.
