So this morning I was on my way to a family reunion. I was supposed to be there early because I was one of the planners. The reunion was a bit more than an hour away. I was running late. And the car in front of me was driving below the speed limit. Aargh. Finally, I reached a decision point — do I go straight, which is a little longer, or veer left and stay with the slow guy. I opted for the slow guy, hoping I’d be able to pass him soon.
Much to my delight, he put his turn signal on soon after the go straight/veer left decision point. He’s going to turn into a local restaurant…after coming to absolute stop before making a right-hand turn. Aargh. But finally he’s turned. Sigh.
And another guy pulls out in front of me going about half the speed limit — much slower than the first guy. He begins to wash his windshield spraying me (through my open car windows) with windshield washer fluid. Guess I should have gone straight instead of veering left. But Mr. Windshield Washer (sloooowwwwly) pulls into a parking space on Main Street in the little town we’re driving through. By now I’m more frustrated at how slowly he’s pulling into the space than happy I’ll no longer be behind him.
And then God speaks to me. “What makes you think your schedule is more important than his?” Ouch! And I realize that impatience is almost always (always?) placing my agenda, my schedule, my plan above someone else’s…and quite likely God’s. I don’t know what the two drivers in the slow cars are going through — who they were driving to meet or what they would face when they got there. Perhaps they needed to drive slowly because their minds were on some tragic events in their lives. Perhaps they are naturally cautious people. Their reason is pretty irrelevant. God seems to have placed them in front of me so I might as well sit back and enjoy the scenery.
Who has He placed in front of you lately? Is He teaching you patience on the road? It’s probably one of the best places for learning it! Enjoy the ride!
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