If you’ve spent any amount of time with me, you know at some point I’m going to reference a scene from The Office.
It’s almost a spiritual gift at this point. I’ve seen the series more times than I can count. (Honestly, I could probably quote Michael Scott like some people quote Shakespeare.)
But the other day, one particular scene came up in conversation — and if you’re an Office fan, you already know where I’m going.
It’s the moment when Michael is driving, the GPS says “Turn left,” the map clearly shows the turn is up ahead… but Michael sees a random driveway and just whips the car right into it anyway. Meanwhile, Dwight is losing his mind in the passenger seat, screaming that they’re going the wrong way. And that driveway? Oh, it leads straight into a pond. A whole pond. Cue the dramatic splash, Michael yelling, “THE MACHINE KNOWS!” and Dwight heroically (and unnecessarily) trying to “save” him.
Classic.
But honestly… life can feel a lot like that sometimes.
We’ve got our plans. We think we’re following the “GPS.” We hear a little voice say, “Turn left,” and instead of waiting for the actual turn God has ahead, we veer into the nearest driveway and land ourselves in some metaphorical pond. And then we’re sitting there, soaking wet, thinking, “Well… that escalated quickly.”
Wouldn’t it be great if we had a spiritual GPS?
One that showed every turn?
Gave exact directions?
Sent us a warning when something was coming?
Maybe even rerouted us when we were about to make a Michael-Scott-level mistake?
But God doesn’t work like that.
He doesn’t hand us a step-by-step map. He gives us something better: His presence.
He gives us His Word, His Spirit, and His people. And instead of turn-by-turn directions, He invites us into something more relational — trust.
Psalm 119 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Not a spotlight. Not a GPS. A lamp. Just enough light for the next step.
And honestly? That frustrates me sometimes. I want the whole route. I want to know what’s around the corner. I want God to say, “In 3.2 miles, you will arrive at your destiny.”
But instead, He says, “Walk with Me. One step at a time.”
And somehow… that’s exactly what we need.
Because if God gave us the whole map, we’d probably do what Michael did — stop trusting the One guiding us and start trusting ourselves. We’d misread the route, take shortcuts, or crash into a pond out of impatience.
So here’s what I’m learning:
Faith isn’t about knowing every turn, it’s about knowing the One who’s leading you.
And He’s a much better Guide than Michael Scott’s GPS.
If you’re in a season where you wish God would just show you the whole route, I get it. Same. But maybe, just maybe, the step you can see is the step He wants you to take. And the next one? He’ll light it when you need it.
Just… maybe don’t drive into any ponds on the way.
P.S. if it's been a while since you've seen this episode or maybe you never have seen this scene. Here's a YouTube link to it. Enjoy. https://youtu.be/DOW_kPzY_JY?si=fR44LGsFCfpKRyLa
