For the past three to four years I have had an ongoing relationship with Patti. She is a delightful companion but for some reason she constantly wants me to make a u-turn. When she really gets frustrated she tells me she is re-routing. Patti has taken the place of my former traveling companion who was somewhat directionally challenged.

Most of you have had some experience with a GPS system in your automobile or perhaps, your smart phone and know how it works. You program your destination into your GPS and it gives you the directions you need to get where you need to go.

One tip I recently read, for which I am guilty, is not to set your “Home address on your GPS to your actual address. This is in case someone steals your car. They’ll know you’re out and can then proceed to ransack your property. Instead, you should set the “home” address as that of your local police station. What a great idea.

If I ask you your philosophy of life could you tell it to me? If I could take some liberties with my thinking and I would use a metaphor that your GPS is your philosophy of life. I arrived at this thought when it dawn on me that each morning when I arise I turn on my GPS. When I meet other people I turn on my GPS. How I treat other people, my attitude, how I approach a new situation, the way I spend my time, how I spend my money are in direct proportion to my Global Positioning System. In other words the direction I am going is determined by my personal GPS. And, the direction we are going is the single most important factor in our pathway of life.

When I first had a GPS in my automobile it took some practice and getting use to how to program it. On more than one occasion I found myself having to re-enter my directions and I frequently got them wrong. I was excited when my new car was hands free and the GPS was completely audible. All I had to do was talk and if I made a mistake I could return and add or take away my previous conversation.

A friend of mine recently told me without his GPS he has trouble getting to where he needs to go. Many people have lives that lack direction. That’s why we need a dependable philosophy, a GPS for our life. With a reliable philosophy of life we can program our life with a set of beliefs, values and priorities that will guide us to our destination. It comes in written form (Bible) and also voice activated (prayer) which quickly tells you when you need to make a u-turn or to re-route. The original model was issued 2000+ years ago.