I drove through a friend’s cow pasture, and the cattle surrounded our car. To the herd of Herefords, a pickup in the pasture equaled food. Beater of a car evidently proved close enough.

My sister laughed and said, “What are you doing?”

I glanced at her. “What do you mean?”

She pointed at my indicator light. “You letting the cows know where you’re going?”

In the middle of a cow pasture, I’d flipped on the turn signal without even realizing it.

The other morning early, with not another soul out in the neighborhood, definitely no car in sight, I pulled out of my driveway and, yep, sure enough, flipped on my turn signal to let the garage door know which way I was headed.

Automatic! That’s what happens in life. I cruise through activities and routines without much thought—which at times is a good thing. Automatic’s excellent when I do the right thing without even thinking about it, like signaling cows in the middle of nowhere or letting other drivers know my intentions at a four-way stop.

But some things aren’t so automatic. We have no autopilot or cruise control when we journey HOME. And I for one certainly have trouble at times connecting with the ONE who waits for me there.

I know all the shoulds (or at least enough of them). I should pray. I should meditate on the Word. I should go to church. I should listen to what the preacher says. I should spend time with the ONE. Some of which are routine. None of which are automatic.

In fact, at times, I’m disheartened by how much I know and how little I do. I struggle with the things that make for a “good” Christian. And I should know better (now there’s a downright frightening phrase from my childhood; put me on the couch and let’s analyze this).

But here’s the thing. My heart automatically yearns for HOME. And I get glimpses of my future destination in things present. And I notice leaks—a thought for a future post, perhaps even a book—which awaken my desire for the ONE and for HIS HOUSE, for my HOME.

It’s not automatic, but I choose THE JOURNEY HOME.

Question: What’s automatic in your life?