Map vs GPS

On Monday, I wrote about my GPS, and how it sent me on a road I would not have chosen. As I was driving, I promised myself that the next time, I would look at the map myself, before starting out, and I would know the way - I wouldn't be as realiant on the GPS.

It's funny, because on the way to church the day before my meeting, Steve and I were talking about the GPS. It only shows you the details.  You see the road you are on, and the next turn, but that's it - you can't see the big picture. When you use a map, you see the directions, and whole trip.

Sometimes we need to use the map. We need to envision the entire trip - the directions, the roads, the destination - the whole vision of where we are going. Sometimes, we need the GPS - the step by step instructions.

The issue, I think, is that FIRST we need the map - where are we going, and how will we get there, and THEN we need the GPS - the step by step instructions.

In the church, when we fail to do the visioning work, the purpose of the details becomes blurred, and we get lost in the woods. The steps we are taking become the more important than the goal. It could be that this is a point of conflict for some churches. The steps become sacred, but the goal is never thought of.