It was a classic Singaporean tourist scene. Near the edge of Orchard, a shopping street which is the want to be equivalent of Madison Avenue, stood a Chinese family with three rolling pieces of luggage. Mom, Dad, three kids – my guess is sixteen, fourteen, and nine. The kids were patiently following the parents lead, as the mom and dad struggled to get the orientation for their paper maps. Given their direction, I could only think of one hotel within a half-mile of the directions they could possibly go! The fact that they were lost and headed in the wrong direction was obvious to anyone familiar with the area.
As two of us on a motorcycle discussed the scene, I knew we had to do something. Being lost on New Year’s eve in the tropical sun was not something I would wish on anyone, regardless of what I might think of her or him!
Long story short, they were headed in a direction where every step took them another step farther away from their destination. On top of that, they had been very successful! They were now miles away. Short of circumventing the globe, they were never going to find their destination doing what they were doing. To make matters even interesting, they had no idea how to hail a taxi in Singapore (nothing particularly unusual in the method, but a challenge if you start with a premise that it is different or difficult!).
As I watched the situation being sorted, my mind drifted to the times I was lost and confused. With too many to review in detail, the consistent prayer was the same; “Oh, God, my Lord, step in; work a miracle for me – you can do it! Get me out of here – your love is so great!” (Psalm 109.21)
To anyone who is lost, may God find you. To anyone who sees another who is lost, may you hear the call of being a guide. We are part of a great family! Beauty, wonder, and possibilities are here for discovery and experience.
