Lost in Seattle

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life.” – John 14:6

Years ago, my wife and I were entertaining some friends from South Africa. We took them on a tour of Seattle, Washington, beginning with the Space Needle. Parking was scarce, so we ended up walking several blocks from our car to the Space Needle. From there, we decided to visit the Science Center.

The weather was nice, so I went to take our coats back to the car. You might be able to guess what happened next: I got lost. After an hour, I did find the car, but not before I had exhausted myself and caused my wife and our guests some concern for my safety. One good thing came of it though—I learned a profound lesson. My guest, an older gentleman, told me that in the future, when looking for my car, I should go back to the first place I had visited after parking and start looking from there. It is a simple concept, but it illustrated a deeper truth.

In our Christian walk, it is also possible to get “lost.” Perhaps this happens because of a lack of faithfully reading and praying, or maybe because some circumstance in life challenges our faith. We may forget why the Gospel is so wonderful and why we are living to glorify God. When we lose sight of those fundamental principles of our faith, it is easy to feel lost.

At those times, it is important that we have a good strategy for getting back on the right path. We could spend much time trying on our own to find the right way, but our focus verse reminds us that Jesus is the Way. No matter how confused or disoriented we are, we can always look back to our first experience in the Gospel—salvation through Jesus—to get re-oriented. Once we remember that first step, everything else comes back into perspective. Gratitude overwhelms us and we remember why we love God and why we chose to serve Him.

Thomas van Kempis, a Catholic monk and author from the fifteenth century, once said, “Without the Way, there is no going; Without the Truth, there is no knowing; Without the Life, there is no living.” Indeed, Jesus is the only Way. Today, if you feel lost or confused, you can return to the true meaning of life by going to Jesus. You need not wander any longer.