I was on my way into work on a Saturday to shuffle some papers and get my desk clean, do a weekly review to get things planned and in order and one exit from work ran smack dab into a traffic jam on I-75.
At first the thoughts were this is great, going in to get ahead and can't do that! Then I realized I needed to pray for what was ahead. It could be anything. Lord, be with the police and fire at the scene. Please Lord be with anyone injured ahead to comfort.
About that time a BIG wrecker goes by and I knew a semi had to be involved. Then another BIG wrecker goes by. Another prayer for the driver of that truck.
Nearly 30 minutes later, I would wheel the VW Beetle by the scene where a trailer was across two lanes of the interstate, no driver seen long gone with ambulance. FOUR BIG wreckers working to get it off the road and towed.
Looked like he jackknifed. Pray he is ok. Pray that who was around him is ok as well.
It was when I got into the office and sat down I started to think about lives and the similarities of traffic jams.
When we are in a serious waiting game like a traffic jam, we are more alert as we go thru it. We are usually just looking out for ourselves in this situation.
We also see others that try everyway possible to get around even if it means going places they shouldn't. Some people are very ugly when they get in tight situations. They do things behind the wheel they would never do to your face or behind your back?
Traffic jams frustrate us. They stop the normal flow of life. People in big cities are always talked about by people in smaller cities as to not knowing how people do that each day going to and fro. We like the normal flow in our lives. A traffic jam stops life.
We usually don't think of others in a traffic jam. We think of ourselves and how it is delaying our time....It is hard to think of others when the focus is on self.
Seldom do we take advantage of this time to pray for those in the situation, I did this as I was prompted by the BIG wrecker, I don't know if I would have if I hadn't seen it whoosh by.
Seldom do we take the time in the jam just to ask God to speak to us while we are waiting.
This is what hit me that when we hit the "traffic jams" of life that come at us far from the road in places like our jobs, our families, our schools, our churches that we don't see this as maybe should.
John Maxwell has pointed out in one his books, "Failing Forward," {one of the few books I know of on failure} that when we fall down in life we don't spend much time down there on the ground. We jump right back up like nothing has happened, dust ourselves off, hope no one saw us and go right on with business as usual.
Donald Miller's book, "A Million Miles in A Thousand Years," is a great book about creating a better story. My favorite book of last year and ties into life's traffic jams as you have to have conflict to create a better story.
Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing even talks about pushing through when you have a problem. Please see his post from July 27th here:
http://michaelhyatt.com/2010/07/the-most-important-part-of-your-story.html
Our desires on this earth are always going to be toward Self and Pride. Our desire is to continually pursue Christ by not following rules but understanding that it was DONE on the Cross at Calvary. That doesn't mean we have a "grace card" we play. It means that we must constantly work on our natural self to focus on others. Doesn't matter about your personality either to focus on others.
This week think first what can you do to focus on others in your family, especially your spouse.
Then your job and then as you go thru the traffic jams of life to create a better story in your own life.
If you are in a traffic jam right now in life, don't lose hope. Help is near. Ask God to help.
King David is recorded in history as having some serious yelling matches at the Lord. He was upset, he was more than mad and he knew the Lord was listening and he knew he had a relationship with him where he could share anything with Him. He had no where else to turn.
Serious traffic jam.
Ask God to show you the way and He will. Ask Him to send people to show that to you and He always does. He is the best story ever. Always will be. Tell others.
He defines our timeline.
Hebrews 13:8
Selah.
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