Acacia trees dotted the grassy plains as far as I could see. Our Maasai guide, Jacob, explained that the 580-square-mile preserve is named the Maasai Mara in honor of his people, who have called the area home for centuries, and for the spotted look of the plains from the trees and shrubs. Mara means “spotted” in Maasai.
Suddenly, the two-way radio in the Land Cruiser crackled to life with his brother’s voice speaking excitedly in Maasai (his brother is also a safari guide), and Jacob raced off in a new direction, calling out to us in English that lions had been spotted. We were headed to find them.
I marveled at how Jacob knew where he was going as we bounced along rocky dirt roads and crossed boulder-studded rivers. Brilliant, iridescently colored birds flew beside us. He didn’t have a map or GPS, and everything looked the same to me. When I asked him about this, Jacob pointed to his head and responded, “Internal GPS.”
For someone who doesn’t have a strong sense of direction and who can get lost in places I’ve been a dozen times, I immediately envied his internal GPS. Then it dawned on me. I do have an internal GPS. It’s that quiet, steady sense of God’s guidance, and it helps me navigate the landscape of life.
This same thought came to me again as I walked through the narrow, twisting streets of Stone Town, the old city of Zanzibar. How easily I could get lost here if not for my friend and guide, who used to live in Nairobi and has been to Stone Town many times. How easily I could get lost in life without a guide and friend beside me.
May we remember, and find comfort in knowing, that we each carry an internal GPS, and that we have a guide who can lead us no matter where we find ourselves in life or how lost we feel. Let us walk forward with faith that whatever lies ahead, we do not walk into it alone.
Who will be your guide and friend this week?