I have traveled with family and friends who have a GPS system and been amazed at how they can arrive someplace they have never before traveled to by the guidance offered.

But one evening when I went with my daughter and son in law, we paused to consider where we might have dinner. After considering several possible locations, they asked for directions to a certain restaurant.

All went well until we were within visual distance and my son in law made a turn that would get us there quite easily. Soon the voice was repeating ‘recalculating, recalculating’.

Since I am not familiar with this system I found myself wondering if this system had ascertained there was only one way to reach our destination. Since we were within a distance where the place was in sight, we continued the way and disregarded the GPS.

I came home with mixed feelings. I had on many occasions found that the system offered excellent instructions even telling how to correct the error you had made. It really does work. But….

What has this to do with life? Well, I have been thinking about these words, ‘recalculating’ or sometimes, ‘error’.

Haven’t we on occasion decided on a goal in life and then began a pursuit to reach that goal. Sometimes, we make a wrong decision and the result tells us instantly, ‘error’.

Often it simply means we must try a new and completely different option and after making changes, we obtain the goal we desire.

In my mind there is a difference in being told I needed to 'recalculate' rather than 'error'.

Making an error means to me that we have gotten completely off track and really ‘messed up’.

Having to ‘recalculate’ means to me that we have been traveling the right path but so that we reach our ultimate goal, we have to make some changes or else we might fail.

Now I know that I have made many an error and because of my mistake, there would be no way to redo as the error made failure imminent.

But there have been many times in my life when I have had to stop and ‘recalculate’ and realize that change was needed and without that change, failure would be the ultimate result. There was ‘hope’ if I made needed changes.

We often speak that when we are making a decision, our conscience comes into play. Some choices we know without too much serious thought, ‘this is wrong’ and therefore we stop. Other choices are a little more vague and we could find ourselves looking for an ‘excuse’ to choose an action that we should reject.

Wouldn’t it be nice when such choices came up that a little voice said to us ‘recalculate’?

Have you ever been in a group of folks when someone says something that upsets and hurts you badly? Your first impulse is to react and reply in an equally hurtful manner, but perhaps something inside you is saying to you, ‘recalculate’.

I know this is stretching a point, but I think that each of us has a set of morals and values and that in times of stress and perhaps distress, we need to listen to that small voice inside that offers a warning. It seems to say, “You know better. You can be better.”

We have heard it said, ‘turn the other cheek’. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” “A soft answer turneth away wrath.”

You’ll find all of this and much, much more in our scriptures. If we follow the path that Jesus trod and try to the best of our abilities to follow His way, perhaps we wouldn’t have to ‘recalculate’ and change directions quite as often.

But, on the other hand, isn’t it wonderful that we have a loving God who views our mistakes and wrong choices, and waits patiently for us to ‘recalculate’, come to Him for forgiveness and guidance, and gives us forgiveness and hope for the future.

We are truly blessed. A GPS is great, but a forgiving loving God is a blessing beyond anything we on earth have devised.