Part III – Seven Ways Life is Like Traffic
This is the final installment in a three-part submission. If you haven’t read the first two, we recommend going here for part one, and here for part two.
5. Landmarks and Interesting Places
There are so many times I was in the car as a young man riding with my parents, asking over and over again “Are we there yet?” My parents probably meticulously planned these trips, calculating gas prices, food cost, landmarks and interesting places to stop. Meanwhile, I just wanted to get to the destination. I didn’t care about the journey. My only concern was reaching the destination.
When you make your whole life about the destination, you will miss every landmark and interesting place along the way. The lessons of life are not in the destination, they’re in the journey. When you embrace and learn the steps through the journey, you’ll always know how to get back to the destination if you ever have to leave it.
People are so focused on the destination they forget every road sign, every landmark. They forget the exit and the people they talked to that gave them the directions they needed to in order to get there. All of the details of the trip, everything that it took to make the trip work and for everyone to arrive safely, those are the things that are usually cast off like a snake shedding his skin.
6. Patience for the Journey
I just want to encourage anyone who is reading this and thinking about all they have to do, mulling over how far behind they feel they are and overwhelmed by how much is lying ahead. In your desire to be further along in life, anxiety can take a toll.
I know many individuals that suffer from bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, and when their minds begin to race, it intensifies their condition. They become overwhelmed, and that sense of heaviness dives them down a hole of despair. This sometimes leads them to basically want to give up on life, and invites suicidal thoughts and feelings.
I would encourage this – before you look at how you have to go, consider looking back at how far you have come. Think about what else you would be investing your time in if you weren’t investing in your destination. At least when you get to your next destination, you can say you’ve made it. You’ll have a victory under your belt and can move on to the next goal.
7. Signs
Finally, one of the most obvious elements of any trip, long or short, are signs. From the first day we learn how to operate a vehicle, we are given a book to study that has a multiplicity of signs. (“Stop,” “Low Shoulder,” “Speed Limit 70 mph,”) Many of these signs are familiar to anyone who has spent a significant amount of time behind the wheel. Since I have been driving for a number of years, sometimes I find myself driving along on routes so familiar, I drive past signs without even looking at them. Of course, this is not good practice, as I could clearly endanger myself and other drivers on the road. (I know I’m not the only one, by the way.)
As with the previous elements, signs are not just given in traffic, they are also given in life. God gives us gentle reminders, “nudges in our spirit,” my grandmother used to say, to keep us on course when we begin to veer off into foreign territory. Sometimes it’s as simple as “slow down, son,” or “that’s not the way, son.” At other times, the warnings or signs can take on a much sharper tone depending on how many “gentle nudges” have been ignored. At times like these, it tends to be a very clear “STOP” or “DEAD END,” which would clearly translate into “NO.” Whatever the case, the signs God gives us should not be ignored under any circumstances. Life is hard sometimes, and when the Lord offers help of any kind, it should not be dismissed or refused. Down the road, you wish you’d taken heed to them all.
Any person who dreams without a plan in place will fall victim to obstacles. Any dream without a plan is merely a fantasy. If you’ll put a plan in place, and remember life is a lot like traffic, sometimes you’ll hit a jam, sometimes you’ll need to pull over and take a rest. There will be times you can speed up and times you’ll need to slow down. There will be straightaways and curves, but no matter what you do, remember to stay in your boundaries and keep moving forward and pay very close attention to every sign you’re given. If you put these simple lessons into practice, whether you are in your vehicle or in the tumultuous seasons of life, you will reach your destination safe and sound.