Psalm 16:8, “I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
It seemed like the lane I was in had the slowest drivers ever. Our lane seemed to creep and crawl forward, yet it seemed the lanes on either side of me were moving ahead much faster.
Becoming increasingly impatient, I assessed the cars to my left and looked for the perfect opportunity to hop over into the left lane. As soon as I saw that first gap, I quickly whipped my car over and, finally, I was in the fast moving lane. Of course, as soon as I switched to the left lane, the middle lane began to speed up, and my lane slowed all the way down! Frustrated, I found a gap and quickly whipped over to the fast moving far right lane. I enjoyed the faster moving pace of the right lane… only to be slowed down significantly because the lane was ending and we had to merge. How frustrating! I had to fight traffic just to get back into the original lane that I started in.
How often do you find yourself in this same situation? Not necessarily literally on the physical interstate, though I’m certain many of us do, but on this road called life? How often do you find it difficult to just stay in your lane? We utter the phrase all the time, referring to other people, but do you ever venture out of your own lanes because life isn’t moving fast enough? You look around and it seems like great things are happening for everyone around you, but you feel stuck in the same place. You’re on the road to getting married, but feel stuck in a dating or single lane. When you look around, it seems like everyone around you is getting engaged and on the fast road to marriage before you. You’re on the road to a promotion, but feel stuck in your current position. Next thing you know, people that have been at the company half the time as you are being promoted, and on the fast track to moving up again. How long are we expected to be patient? Not long according to our decisions. The choices we make when waiting for God, many times, show us weaving in and out of traffic. We start to date people that we know are not good for us, because it seems to put us in the fast lane. We start to find ways to make money, although the way we make it may be questionable, but it puts us on a fast track to having more. But in the end, we find that we really aren’t moving forward at all. We find ourselves headed for more roadblocks ahead, longing to be in the place that God had us to begin with.
Being a very impatient person myself, I know that it’s tough to wait for something you really want. It’s hard and seems so unfair to be on the same road with other people, but they get to arrive to the destination long before you. But we have to continue to wait on God and stay in the lane He has placed us in. Weaving in and out of lanes is not only exhausting, but it can be very dangerous. Sometimes, a lane may seem clear, but the moment you whip over into it, there’s a roadblock that you couldn’t even see, because the lane you were in was blocking it. The very thing that annoys us and seems to slow us down, is sometimes the very thing protecting us.
God may be holding you in a place and you’re crying out, asking why is it taking so long to get to the promise ahead. He may have positioned you to see other careers, relationships, marriages, businesses, ideas move ahead, while yours slowly creep ahead. I challenge you to stay in the lane that God has placed you in and patiently push ahead. As the scripture reminds us, keep your eyes fixed on Jesus so that the lanes of other people aren’t a distraction. Know that God will deliver you to the place of the promise at just the right time. Don’t over exhaust yourself weaving in and out, only to find yourself fighting to get back into God’s original plan for your life. Trust in God’s timing and the plan He has for you. Remember, it is for you to prosper after all.
Heavenly Father, thank you for your love and guidance as I navigate through this Christian life. Sometimes I become impatient and find myself trying to navigate in someone else’s lane. God help me to trust in you and to keep my eyes fixed on you, avoiding all distractions. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
By: Min. April Carter
