Seven Ways Life is Like Traffic - Part Two
This is the second installment of a three part submission entitled Seven Ways Life is Like Traffic. If you missed the first part, we suggest going here to catchup.
I remember times in my life when I was very anxious and very unsure of what the future held for me; as a student, as a young minister and as a man desiring to have a family. I remember thinking to myself “Will I ever get to where I want to be in life?”
It seemed like everyone was always flying past me. I felt that way at school most of the time. Sometimes it would seem like I was doing great and as soon as I started making gains, I would slide back. Sometimes circumstances beyond my control would play a part. Ultimately, I knew I wasn’t where I wanted to be, and where I wanted to go was so far away it became overwhelming.
I wanted to write something that I hoped to be encouraging to someone in similar situations. I’m on the other side of those things now. I am now middle aged, a Pastor for 23 years, married for 25 years and my children are grown. In retrospect, I often wonder why I was so anxious.
As I was in my car riding to work I was meditating and started to look at my surroundings for inspiration. I then realized that life is a lot like traffic. In my comparison, I found all of the elements that you need in life in my analysis of traffic: boundaries, speed limits, straightaways and curves, backroads and shortcuts, landmarks and interesting places, patience for the journey, and of course various types of signs. In an uncanny yet vivid way, all of these elements of traffic mimic life for me.
3. Straightaways and Curves
Life has straightaways and curves. Straightaways are not that bad. Most of the time, you can just sit back with your foot on the gas and hand on the steering wheel. It’s just a matter of you guiding the vehicle. The car does most of the work. If you keep your eyes on the road, you’re in good shape. Adversely, when you hit those curves, you have to make sure you know what you are doing, especially if there is rain or ice on the ground. You don’t want to hit curves at the wrong speed, less you lose control of the car. Life is a lot like that. There will be days when you have straightaways and it will seem like a great day. You wish for more days like this.
The reality is as soon as you come out of a straightaway you will hit a curve, and when you hit that curve you have to bring all of your awareness to the playing field and make sure that you have your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel, working to ensure everything is in unison. You have to know how to let off the gas, how to tap the brake, how to hold the wheel, how to be aware of your surroundings. When driving around a curve, it’s easy to lose control.
I’ve seen many people, myself included, who hit curves in life at the wrong speed, spinning out of control and crying for help. This doesn't have to happen if we're responsible with the way we are handling the vehicle of our life.
4. Backroads and Shortcuts
Life also has backroads and shortcuts. I can’t tell you how many times I have been driving along and thought to myself that there has to be a quicker way to get there, so I grab my GPS to look for alternate routes. We all try to avoid traffic. Comically, however, there have been many times I’ve taken what I thought was a shortcut, just to end up lost with my GPS out of range. Now I’m on my own – no idea where I’m going and seeking advice from anyone who may be able to answer my questions about directions.
It can be a really bad situation when you’re not doing things the way they should be done yet always looking for a shortcut. Somethings in life just require what they require; time; diligence; some stick-to-itiveness. If you’re not willing to make those sacrifices, then you should just be honest with yourself and admit that you don’t want it bad enough.
It’s an illusion we paint for ourselves when we start trying to believe we can do extraordinary things with mediocre effort. Extraordinary people do extraordinary things because they are willing to go the extra mile. They’re willing to put their all into something in order to gain the prize. If we want to see that kind of harvest in our lives, if we want to see those extraordinary things being reeped, then we can’t look for shortcuts.
If you know your drive will be two hours, you’re going to have to leave on time so you don’t have to do anything reckless or illegal to arrive safely and punctual. Shortcuts and back roads sometimes lead to dead ends, and while they occasionally let us off the hook, many times we’re unable to navigate our way out of them. Let’s not rely on shortcuts and backroads to get us through the ups and downs of life.