Often in life I learn some of my best lessons from just being in the world around me. Like when driving my car… on the first night of really good weather, beautiful sunshine and warmth – so of course traffic on the West Side highway was really bad. An hour of stop, go, hurry up, slow down, go, stop, go, stop and an awful lot of sitting and waiting and sitting and waiting to hurry up, stop, go, and slow down.

After the first half hour of watching the people running up and down the river, I started thinking about how that drive was a bit like my faith walk. When I first joined God’s “West Side highway” I was definitely in hurry-up mode. Everything was fast and new and exciting and I wanted to do it all, experience it all, and serve it all. Initially, God put some stop lights on my roadway, some serious Christian community traffic to slow me down and make me pay more attention to the roadway, to what was moving around me. And then I would hurry up again, to slow down again; occasionally looking at the world around me. Somewhere along the line I started to put my own stop lights on my roadway. I stopped listening to Gods cruise control, stopped being tuned into the community around me – deciding I could do it all on my own. Amazingly enough, every time I took total control back – my faith drive would come to a full and complete stop. And I would sit and wait, and maybe complain just a bit about the fact that I wasn’t going anywhere and maybe complain a bit about the people around me who I thought were stopping me instead of being on the journey with me.

And I would sit and wait and expect it all to get better because I wanted it to.

And then I would call out to God, get back to his plan. The light would turn green and forward I would move. Sometimes slowly, sometimes more quickly, always hitting bumps, lumps, and holes in the road. Sometimes coming close to being taken out by a fallen traveler on his own path, sometimes being guilty of doing the same to others. Sometimes being thoughtful, patient and serving – sometimes more focused on my own drive at the expense of others.

It was a long time to think while on the West Side highway. At the end I was maybe a bit wiser, maybe a bit happier. Thankful for God’s light on my path (did I mention I was in the convertible with the top down?) I am sure this brilliant revelation won’t mean the rest of my faith walk will be smooth sailing. I am sure I will continue to put my own red lights in my path, and as always I will have to deal with others along the road going different places at different speeds. But I am still glad for this glimpse of knowing! And believe it or not, it was a little sad to be turning of the West Side highway. Good to know that God turns right along with me, and is always there whether I let him drive or whether I have taken control back.