Triptiks

Back before there were GPS systems and smartphone navigation apps, there were triptiks.  The local AAA office would provide these maps on steroids to their members when embarking on a road trip. Every time we took a vacation, my parents would go to AAA to get a triptik in preparation of our journey.

These maps were spiral bound and looked like a reporter's notebook. You would give the travel office your destination and they would take a green marker and page after page indicate your route. Each flip of the page got you closer to your destination and would unfold to give you more details along the route. The cool thing about a triptik is that it would mark any road closures or construction so you would be prepared for what was ahead. Granted, it didn't talk to you like a Garmin, but my Mom did a pretty good job verbalizing the instructions clearly for my Dad.

The great thing about having that green-marked flip map was you knew exactly what to expect from start to finish.  Where the slow downs would be, the road closures....the big things (aside from traffic) that you needed to be aware of to avoid. Triptiks are what we want from God. We want him to map out every journey we take from start to finish before we start. But God doesn't work that way. Why?  Because He wants us to trust Him. What is a journey with The Lord if you know all the obstacles and don't need to depend on Him?  It might be less turbulent but it's also less educational. On days when I miss that detailed map of my journey, I need to remember that God has already mapped out my life with His green marker and I just have to trust Him to bring me through the construction and detours along the way.