My son is learning to drive and because he possesses an easygoing, fairly methodical approach to getting from point A to B, I’m a bit more relaxed than I was when each of my daughters first took the wheel. The car is less emotion packed than it was when the girls were learning to drive.

Each time I slip into the passenger side I buckle up with the intention of being patient and encouraging. But I have a confession to make: I’m a bit of a nervous ninny when it comes to student drivers who have chosen my car to use for their road trips. My sense of well-being is particularly undone by drifting to the right and not breaking soon enough. I automatically push an imaginary brake, grab my door handle, and burst with a shrill cue.

I hate my own reactions sometimes and long ago realized I’d make a lousy driver’s education instructor.

Thankfully, the kids have managed to survive my supervision and today the last Klope child is driving well. I’m even relaxed enough to share driving strategies and reminisce about my early driving experiences when we hit the road. One of the things we frequently talk about is visualizing the route before we get out on the road. I have spent a lot of time driving my kids and their friends from here to yonder, and I maneuver easily about town.

It’s through time spent behind the wheel that I know my way around my community. But I do not possess a natural sense of direction and if I am not the one driving, I sometimes stop paying attention altogether. I prefer to listen to my XM radio stations or peruse a magazine, allowing the driver to take the helm. Unlike my husband, the Boy Scout, who learned to find his way while hiking mountain passes and working his way around compass courses for enjoyment, my sense of direction is underdeveloped. If I’m momentarily lost it’s not reason that points me in the right direction, it’s MapQuest.

For that reason alone a key step for me, when preparing for any road trip, is taking full advantage of the amazing services available at www.mapquest.com. It is here that I carefully type in my starting point and the address to my destination. I hit enter and up pops step-by-step driving directions as well as a nice map. My favorite feature is the site’s ability to reverse the route. The good people at MapQuest have never steered me wrong. I print out the information and hit the road.

Don’t we wish that navigating through life’s big decisions were as easy. You know the ones…

University or junior college?

Move or stay put?

Marry or continue dating?

Ask for a raise or cut back?

If you’re like me, such questions are never asked without two giant follow-up questions: What does God want me to do? How can I discern His will?

When I’ve got big decisions to make I pull out key scriptures for reassurance. Listen to what God says to you and me at decision-making time:

Seek His will in all you do

and He will direct your paths.

–Proverbs 3:6

The LORD says, “I will guide you along

the best pathway for your life.

I will advise you and watch over you.”

—Psalm 32:8

I long for God’s guidance. But to be able to detect His presence, and influence, and will, I’ve got to know Him. That means I must pick my Bible off the side table in my bedroom and read it. I must learn how the great LifeQuester worked in the lives of the ancients, so I can understand how He will work in my life and in the lives of those around me today.

Why bother with ancient text? It’s because the Bible is filled with more than stories, genealogy, poetry and drama. Its words are breathed by God. They are alive. In fact, God reminds readers that His words are “sharper than any double-edged sword.” He goes on to say that His words guide the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

It’s miraculous and encouraging to read a passage as if it were written to you alone.

I long for that kind of input and to gain it, I must read my Bible. Not haphazardly, but regularly. I must add to my planner, “Bible study,” even if it is as unstructured as me picking up a simple guide at my local Christian bookstore and gently working through one book at a time.

I want to know my God well enough that I recognize His influence in my daily life, trusting His guidance as I make those big decisions.

Next week: Approaching God himself with my big decisions.

Joan Bay Klope is a freelance writer and speaker who makes her home on Whidbey Island. Her award-winning column has run for 13 years in Western Washington newspapers. Email comments to faithfulliving@hotmail.com.