Lost

Valerie Cullers 39 Comments

Several years ago, my husband wanted to go out in the woods and use his compass to find a lake. We didn’t take a lot of provisions with us or a flashlight because we were just going to hike in and out during the daytime. We also did not tell anyone where we were going; so off we went. Instead of taking the road to the lake, we parked the car a few miles from the lake and my husband looked on his map and took a compass heading. We followed that heading through the woods until we reached the lake. It took a few hours to get in but all in all, it was a successful venture. 

We decided to follow the road back to the car and began to walk. What we didn’t know was that the road forked a little bit north of us, and that the road we were on was not the one we thought it was. After a while, we realized that the road was not taking us back to the car. We talked about what we should do since it was going to be dark in about an hour. We decided to backtrack to the place we left from at the lake. We would then follow the compass heading through the woods back to the car.

person holding compass

Photo by Valentin Antonucci on Pexels.com

By the time we got to the lake, it was getting dark. Remember, my husband did not have a flashlight with him. In order to get out, he had me walk fifteen or twenty feet ahead of him, he would take a compass heading and have me move until I was in line with it. He would then come and stand where I was and then I would walk another fifteen or twenty feet. We did that for the next few hours. I would walk ahead, he would take the heading. I would move until I was on that heading, he would walk up to where I was standing and we would do it all over again. Over and over we did those same repetitious steps. 

The moon rose higher and illuminated the woods. I felt better about it, but knew we were “lost” and so I kept repeating Bible verses to myself, holding onto whatever I could until we got out of the woods. My husband wasn’t worried at all because he trusted the compass and knew that if we followed it, eventually we would come out of the woods by the car.

Finally, the woods cleared and we saw the road. We came out of the woods within about fifteen yards of the car. To say I was greatly relieved is an understatement. But I did learn something that day; I can trust the compass, and even if I don’t know where I am. The compass will always point me in the right direction. 

That experience was a great life lesson for me, both practically and spiritually. We, as finite humans, will sometimes find ourselves in situations where we feel we are lost in the woods. We cannot see our way out of it and it feels dark. We need to remember that our sense of direction will lie to us, our emotions will lie to us, but our compass will never lie to us. If we will keep our eyes on the Lord (the compass) and check with the map (the Word) we will be able to walk in the right direction and eventually we will get out of the situation we are in. We must learn not to rely on what we think is happening around us and try to find our own way out of whatever situation we are in. The book of Proverbs has a few great verses that explains this principle:  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3: 5-6.

For me…lesson learned…trust the Compass!

It’s Summer and I am going to reblog a few of my outdoor posts!

39 thoughts on “Lost”

  1. This is why I’m glad God is holy. It attracts the magnet of my soul, helps orient me when situations are complicated and every course of action carries a consequence. Just do what’s right. God will work the rest out.

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  2. What a great illustration to emphasize the necessity to trust the “compass” when we are in the middle of a situation we don’t understand. Many times in my life, God’s faithfulness has become evident eventually, but had I started out using my own feelings as my guide, the end result wouldn’t have been beneficial.

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  5. Oh this is so timely for me. God has been unpacking so much about Him and His Word being my compass. Thanks for confirming. Glad you got out ok!

    “You’re my compass 
    when the road is long”
    – “Only Jesus” Brian Johnson

    “Give me your lantern and compass, give me a map, So I can find my way to the sacred mountain, to the place of your presence, To enter the place of worship, meet my exuberant God, Sing my thanks with a harp, magnificent God, my God.” Psalm‬ ‭43:3-4‬ ‭MSG‬‬
    Blessings xx

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  8. Wonderful lesson! I just finished reading another blogger use a real life situation to teach a Biblical truth. Awesome! I love this one, too. I love how the Lord takes ordinary or not so ordinary situations in our lives to teach us what he wants us to learn. He does this with me often, i.e. he gives me real life parables to teach me his truths – anything from ants in the garage to a toothache, and on and on it goes, always learning and growing. Thank you, Valerie, so much for this lesson on keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus and on his Word to lead us in the way we should go. Amen!

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  9. Hi Valerie,

    I like the fact you didn’t beat your husband up because it was his idea 💡 to go into the woods in the first place. Then you both trust each other. Unity is a must when lost in the woods.
    Thanks for sharing.

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  10. First of all, that was very scary! I would have been using the same strategy as you, repeating Bible verses and praying every step of the way. What an awesome analogy, God as our compass and the map His Word! How easy it is to let our emotions and the world around us drag us into defeat and fear. Excellent message, Valerie!

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