“The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your needs in the parched places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters never fail. (Is 58:11 NRSV)

Cracker and Sammi, setter pup bracemates, pushed forward in the warm season grasses. Searching for pheasants in front of Bob and Janet, the dogs' bells, attached to their collars, rang out a steady beat that marked their ever-changing location as they hunted in the waist-high weedy cover. Suddenly, silence—no bells. Where are the two-some? Did they go so far forward that they are out of bell range? Did they go over that knoll on the right so we can't hear their bells?

Bob: “Janet, check the GPS receiver.” Each pup wore a GPS transmitter. Janet: “They're 75 yards ahead at 1o'clock and they're stopped.” We moved in that direction.

Bob (frustrated): “Can't see them, the weeds here are shoulder height.” Janet: “You're headed in the right direction. Keep moving; they are just 35 yards ahead exactly where you're going.”

Bob: : “There they are! Point. Sammi's pointing; Cracker is backing.” Walking in front of them, Bob flushes an 8-week old pheasant and then two more get up as the blank pistol cracks, imitating a hunting scenario. The pups chase with gusto for a short distance.

As Janet and I trained our bird dogs, Cracker and Sammi, one day this past August, we later thought about how this scenario is a metaphor for our lives as Christians. When we committed our lives to Christ, we committed to relying on Him to be our “GPS.” At times we can feel as if we aren't sure where we are going in life—the tall weeds obscure our path which makes the destination even more of a mystery.

The key in these situations is to just start walking, one step at a time, and rely on God to direct our path (Prov 3:6 “In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths.”) He knows the course our lives must follow to win “the prize”(Phil 3:13-14). As we approach the celebration of the birth of our Savior Jesus (sent to be our beacon and light in this world) we must resolve to trust in Him as our guidance system because He will never fail.

Bob Watts