On a recent trip abroad we found ourselves in Gibraltar for 24 hours. It was the vacation day I was most looking forward: our first visit to the United Kingdom, (sort of). I love checking off states that I have visited, and now I am checking off countries. Who needs to see England? Check, check.
I was going to see the giant rock firsthand and most excitedly those famous monkeys everyone talks about! I soon learned Gibraltar also appears to have an invisible force field around their teeny tiny country that makes your navigation bonkers. Don’t believe me? Try it…. Whether inside or outside the country, any destination you put in, navigation takes you to Africa first! And if by the time you read this, Google has fixed the glitch, you are just going to have to trust me.
From my Internet research, I knew when you first enter the country you have to travel across the airport runway. Now that sounded weird and cool!! We cleared border patrol, and sure enough — BOOM you are instantly at the airport. We noticed a strange thing as we approached the runway. There were giant boulders blocking access to the airport tarmac. This made it quite clear that this was a ‘new’ permanent road closure. We had to veer right into a random grocery store parking lot to regroup. What just happened? We crossed the border and a block later the road dead ends? Please don’t make me sit in that 45-minute border crossing line again! We did the only thing we could; we turned around and headed back toward border control. It was then that we noticed the border line cars all making a left turns, where we originally went straight. So this time we followed the crowd. I feel like I need to insert that famous mama line about following the crowd: (Insert your own internal mom voice here) “If everyone did jumped off a bridge, would you?” In this instant, yes, yes mom we would. This ‘crowd’ clearly knew the way out!
Great, we had figured out how to bypass the airport! Once inside Gibraltar, my navigation was still NOT working! It would give you a direction, and then stop and just show you where you were. I have never been so happy to be in a country that was 2.4 square miles with a GIANT rock in the center. At least that narrowed down the number of wrong turns we could take!! We knew the hotel was butted up against the rock, again narrowing down our wrong turn choices. Needless to say we did find our hotel.
Mamas, sometimes life can feel like this. There are times you have your direction, you know your destination, but you have multiple turns in front of you. Each turn adds or subtracts time. Adds or subtracts frustrations. Adds or subtracts joy. Adds or subtracts tears. Adds and subtracts laughs. Adds or subtracts speed bumps. Why are there so many speed bumps???
My mamas reading this know what it feels like to end up on the grief detour. When your path disappears and navigation goes bonkers. My only advise mamas, allow Jesus to be your compass. With Jesus as your co-pilot, it means less wrong turns on your grief detour.
“I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6.
Mamas, when your compass goes bonkers, set it aside, and trust your heavenly co-pilot. You got this! Take a breath. Hold Tight. JUST. DO. SOMETHING.
Ice Baby Ministries 