Me and Mr. Garmin

Walk in all the way that the LORD your God has instructed you, so that you may live…and prolong your days in the land
—Deuteronomy 5:33

I love Mr. Garmin!
He sets you free! He makes it possible to go anywhere you want, any time you want! You can even choose the type of “voice” that tells you when to turn: British, Australian, French. You choose!

I loved Mr. Garmin right up until last Thursday when I was in Chicago. I was there with a team from Shawnee Mission Medical Center: Sam, Sheri, Greg, Lana, and Shannon. We were to visit the four Adventist hospitals in Chicago-land, conducting the bi-annual Mission peer review—a friendly site visit to review their mission effectiveness.

Driving down I-55 Mr. Garmin made me look like a veteran Chicago-lander. He told me to go onto I-355 which I did, confident, self assured, even moving along smartly (if you know what I mean).Then Mr. Garmin abandoned me! The road disappeared and was replaced with a big fat red flashing “?”. He tried recalculating with little success. He even adjusted his perspective zooming in and out but still the “?” flashed telling me I was lost in the midst of spaghetti junction. Overpasses above, below, beside and beyond.

I drove on hoping Mr. Garmin would return. He never did until I found an old road he recognized. Mr. Garmin was out of date. Actually, the maps he was using were out of date. I-355 was not in his universe, but it was right in front of me! In all fairness to Mr. Garmin, he worked perfectly. I had not updated the maps!

So when was the last time you updated your maps? How about the map you follow on the unit caring for patients, or entering a medical record? How about the map you use when you are dealing with someone who is afraid or upset or anxious? How about the maps you follow as a parent, friend or spouse? When did you update them last?

It is a frustrating time when the map you are following doesn’t fit the road you are driving, or the person for whom you are caring or the child you are parenting. Update time is here and as the text above says, walking in the way God has instructed is always up to date!

Today, you will be caring for patients, families, associates and physician partners. Some of whom have been abandoned by their Mr. Garmin and all they can see is a big fat red flashing “?”. They may be worried, frustrated, confused, lost, and need you to help them. So take some time to gently listen and kindly point out the way they might travel!