Mary McLaurine has an unusual condition called developmental topographical disorientation, or DTD. This means she can't form a mental map or image of her surroundings. Unlike most people, Mary has no internal compass. Here's how she described a typical incident of dealing with her DTD:
I was staying a friend's home and decided to take their dog Otis for a walk. As I started back, I had no idea where I was. I was only blocks from where I had started my walk, but I was lost. Fear and adrenaline pulsed through my veins and I began to sweat profusely. My surroundings looked completely unfamiliar. It was as though I'd been dropped into the middle of a foreign land.
I hadn't written down the address of the home where I was staying. Walking in any direction would be just a guess: Am I getting closer to or farther away? Would I have had to knock on someone's door to use their phone to call the police? How could I expect them to return me to a place if I had no address to provide?
Fortunately, Mary found someone to guide her back to her house. With DTD there is no brain injury—no car accident, no brain tumor, or stroke. People who have this condition, basically get lost every day in the most familiar surroundings. Mary continues: "Those of us struggling with this disorder are often left with feelings of anxiety, depression, isolation, and self-doubt."
Possible Preaching Angles: Spiritually speaking, we all have a profound case of DTD. 1) Good Shepherd; Guidance; Spiritual Direction– In much the same way, Thomas (and many believers) worry about finding their way through life to heaven. Jesus reassured him that he "is the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:1-6) and that he would bring him safely home. 2) Lostness; Rescue; Witness– The unsaved are truly without direction and hopeless without someone to guide them.
