Direction

​I remember as a young kid visiting my grandmother who lived in the country in South Carolina. When I got my drivers license and was just starting to drive, I wanted to drive everywhere.  Anytime my grandmother wanted something, I wanted to go pick it up for her. The thing is I didn’t know my way around this little country town, so my grandmother would always go with me to make sure I didn’t get lost. Then the day came she needed something from a friend’s house. Grandma could not go, so here was my chance to be able to drive all by myself. My grandmother gave me directions to their house and off I went. However, my directions were questionable.
 
Go north for about two miles. Turn where the old mill used to be. Go down the dirt road until you hit a fork, then turn back east. I needed street signs and a city grid. And that mill? How in the world was that a helpful landmark when it was torn down 10 years earlier? So of course, I missed the turnoff, then I got hopelessly lost down a dusty dirt road. I arrived back home about 2 hours later when it should have only taken me 15 mins there and back. I told my grandmother to forget forks and Y’s or north or south. Give me clear direction. Tell me to turn right or left or give a street name or an address. Tell me an approximate number of miles, because “as the crow flies” doesn’t mean a thing if you’re not a crow. I was so lost that day. From that day forward, I had my grandmother ride with me so I didn’t get lost anymore. I didn’t try to do it on my own, I followed her directions while she was next to me.
 
This reminded me of Levi in Luke 5 who was also desperately lost — spiritually lost. Though Levi’s family had deep religious roots, he was tangled in sin. Levi encountered Jesus earlier that day, and Jesus invited Himself to Levi’s home. The religious rulers were angry because they didn’t like Jesus sitting at Levi’s table. They believed there was a specific way to talk to sinners and going to their house wasn’t included in that methodology. They angrily confronted Jesus’ disciples, demanding to know what Jesus was doing. Though they aimed their question at His disciples, it’s Jesus who responds. Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor — sick people do” (Luke 5:31b). Jesus wasn’t following the Pharisee’s rules, but He was fulfilling His Father’s mission. Jesus was sent to rescue the lost, and Levi was sin-sick. He was so far down the wrong road that he couldn’t find his way back. While the Pharisees saw a lost cause, Jesus saw a potential miracle. There’s hope in this story for all of us, but by His example, Jesus reveals how we can help those who feel lost.
 
History tells us Levi left his old life (Luke 5:28) and followed Jesus. He eventually mentored others, helping them find their way too. My guess is Levi never forgot how it felt when Jesus walked into his home and into his life. When we meet someone who’s lost, let’s try to remember: What did we need when we felt hopelessly lost?  Rather than toss out a Scripture or a catchy statement, let’s slow down. Have a conversation. Learn a little more about that person whom Jesus loves so much. Let’s discover how they got in that lost place, and then walk toward Jesus together.