maps

I used a California Missions map similar to this one as a reference to guide me through the journey of Fray Junipero Serra.  From San Diego to San Francisco, 21 mission churches were established to evangelize and convert the natives.

I went to my first mission church in Santa Barbara in 2009 and decided that I wanted to hit up all of them before I left California.  Five years later, I finally completed my personal mission!  What did I do at each church?  I prayed, I toured, I sat, I pondered.  I imagined past ghosts that used to live and work at these missions.  The history is crazy.  After a while, they were all the same but each mission has its own story.  Each mission has its own saint.  Each mission had its own purpose.  Each mission even has its own ghosts.  The heart, prayer, and dedication going into each mission is something I can't even grasp.

There are certain destinations in life I'd like to get to, and I wish there was a map to help me along the way.  I'm not talking about travels to Asia, Europe, Austrailia, etc... (though that's in the plan).  I'm talking about destinations in my career, love life, personal goals.  Unfortunately, it's not that simple and I feel as though I have to walk blindly on this journey trusting where God leads me.  Remember the days of driving to a new place based on directions that someone gave you?

"Left Plainfield-Naperville Road, Right Gateshead, Right Homestead, Left..."

You would have to describe turns to someone by landmarks.  "You will see a Mobil gas station.  Go two more streets and then turn right."  "If you hit the bank, you went too far and you need to turn around."

There was no GPS to really lead us to our destination, let alone a device to tell us how much traffic we'd run into or what hazards we'd face along the way.

"Hazard on the right." ~ Waze

Nope, it was all based on the words someone gave us and some helpful landmarks to guide us along the way.  Jesus still works that old school way with me.  He doesn't have it all laid out for me to see.  I have no idea where the traffic jams are or how many miles until the next turn.  If I find myself at a dead end, He gives me a detour.  Mother Mary and the saints are my landmarks and guide my way as well.  Messages from friends and family are signs I need to keep an eye on so I don't get lost along the way.

It all comes together.

We used to function just fine without a GPS.  Yes, it took a little longer but that's how I got to know the city I live in.  Jesus knows our lives can't be mapped out so easily.  We need to get lost to find our way.  That's how we get to know ourselves.  He has a journey set for us already, and it's up for us to navigate and find our way to the destination we're called to reach.

What's #30daysofmystagogia?  You can refer back to my blog on "About Time" to understand the meaning behind this project.