That is except for the 2nd to last turn, it is in my opinion one of the hardest parts of my entire day - not because I'm not used to it, but because it takes experience and nerves of steel to navigate it safely.
Let me see if I can describe the turn:
- It's a left hand turn
- There is rarely (if ever) a turn arrow
- Oncoming traffic does not stop
- The oncoming traffic comes out of a dip in the road, I the traffic in my lane is pointed uphill and as you can imagine it is frequently difficult to see
- The traffic moves at about 50 MPH (though many drivers go much faster)
While driving to work recently I was waiting for what I believed was the right moment to turn when I came to a realization that my drive to work was a metaphor for life (my life anyway).
God calls each one of us to do something for Him, somewhere.
- There are times when the road is smooth - everything is going the way we expect it to.
- There are other times when there are minor pot holes or detours - things don't always go the way that we expect them to, but we know that in a short (or long) period of time we will be back on course
- There are times when we know where we are going and in order to get there we make a blind left hand turn
So the question was - how is it that every day I make a blind left hand turn and do so safely, without getting into and without causing others to get into an accident?
How does one do what God is calling them to when there is risk, things are moving too fast, and you can not see everthing that is coming?
- Experience and preperation - You would not want to be an inexperienced driver or a student driver out on your first day trying to make a turn like this or drive on the freeway(1 Sam 7:3) preperation, practice and experience provide context and often times will help you know when you should move and when you should wait or take a different path to get to the same destination
- Wait and be patient - being in a hurry leads to dangerous behavior (Isa 40:31), but being patient while driving and in life is a good idea
- Watch and listen - being aware of what's going on by not being distracted and watching and listening for traffic. Being aware of what God is doing by being aware of His leading and what His Word says. Sometimes I have heard something on the radio that sounded like a siren or the noise of a car and it distracted me. Don't make the mistake of hearing or seeing something that is not really there or not hearing or seeing something that is.
- Eventually I need to turn (or not) - eventually when driving or in life I need to move or decide that I won't and make sure that I know that once that decision is made it can not be undone, and there might be positive or negative consequences.
What is my point? Through life there might be times when you have to make a decision without a 100% perfect and clear view of where you are going - God has given you experience, senses, skills and His Word to guide you. It is your job to use what He has given to guide you to act within His will or to simply be patient and wait for the right time to act or for Him to show you a different way to get you to where He has called you.
Posts
