To hear ourselves talk about God, we might think that God is some kind of satellite navigational aid on life’s dashboard. We think that if we listen hard enough we will hear the divine signals coming through: keep right; take the next exit; take a left in half a mile.

But it isn’t so easy! We have to make every choice ourselves, but not alone. The wisdom we have is not in some add-on gadget but within us. God’s guidance is not a GPS device, but perhaps a compass.

God never promised an easy ride, with all decisions made for us by some divine website in the sky. But God promises to travel with us, every mile of the way, helping us pay attention to the terrain, to notice the signs—to read the compass.

From Margaret Silf, Compass Points, Loyola Press.