Thoughts on Acronyms and Comfort

There is a woman in my car giving me directions and it isn't Gretchen. She calls herself GPS. She has a strong assuring voice and she tells me where I need to go. I think her initials stand for Gina - Personal and Smart. Gina (That's my name for her!) is personable - when I miss a turn she doesn't tell me that I made a mistake - she takes the blame and says: "Re-calculating the route." She is definitely smart because she knows every street and house address in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Ok, so really GPS stands for Global Positioning System. When necessary I will use it along the sabbatical journey to protect myself from too many wrong turns.
I got to thinking about how we have become so comfortable with the use of acronyms - GPS, IBM, SOP, IRS - ugh!, UPS, GTE, etc., etc. Along the way I tried to think of some good new meanings for G.P.S. How about "Gospel People Serve"; or "God Pardons Sinners" - we all need that!; or....well, you get the idea.
Amid my acronym ruminations I received on my cellphone - another technological marvel - a voice mail from a childhood friend. He is a friend who appears strong and has a good sense of humor, but he struggles with the issue of faith. He spoke haltingly as he told me that he younger brother who is in his mid-fifties is riddled with cancer and has two brain tumors. He said he just wanted to talk so he might have a better understanding of what to say or do. He thought since I have been through this with others before him that I might have some important insights to share. I wanted to call him back, but he is a private person and didn't leave a number - his phone is unlisted and my "list" of the unlisted is back in Greenwich. It's been 24 hours since he called and maybe he decided that it was unlike him to ask for help or he didn't want to bother me. I have made several efforts to track down his number. When he does call, even though I will probably only listen and try to give a few really concrete ideas how to face the challenge and help his mother and brother face this difficult time, there is one thing that I am sure I will say: "I'm here; God cares and so do I; call me anytime; and G.P.S. - May God's Peace and Spirit be with you!" I hope that my G.P.S. will help to aim my friend's spirit in the right direction.

G.P.S. to All,

Bob

Bob