My children and I just returned from a lovely excursion to Long Island for the Thanksgiving holiday. It is always good to go home. It is always difficult to leave. The trip should take about two hours if it’s smooth sailing. Yet, this has become a rare occurrence lately.
When we left Connecticut on Wednesday morning, we were immediately snafued. Right off the bat, we lost twenty minutes. A few additional hiccups contributed to our 30-minute delayed arrival. Our return trip also began smoothly. Yet as soon as we hit the Connecticut border…dead in the water. Another thirty minutes of my life vanished.
Each time we hit a snag, I asked my son to check the GPS for the root cause. Was it an accident? Was it simply the volume of cars? Negatory my friend.
However, this lack of information did not stop my immediate reaction to want to find a better route. Maybe slipping off to a side road could improve our circumstances.
Here was my son’s response to me both times we hit a wall:
“There’s nothing on the GPS and besides, you can’t do anything about it. Just keep going and it’ll pass.”
I love my son dearly, yet these are fighting words to someone who is a) impatient and b) is wired to immediately want to fix things that are broken. My personality type is “Find a better way.” I’m always looking for how things can be improved, made better, or done faster.
“Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14 NKJV)
Funny – It looks like I have a few compadres in the Bible who must’ve also been wired the same way.
Our longsuffering lovebirds, Abraham and Sarah couldn’t wait for God to bring about their firstborn, so they took matters into their own hands and instead, Abraham had a baby with Sarah’s handmaiden. Oops!
The impatient Israelites, escaping slavery in Egypt as well as making it through the Red Sea (yes, through!), got antsy when Moses didn’t come down from the mountain of God fast enough. Their “better way?” They fashioned a golden calf and decided it would be better to worship this dead idol than the living God who saved them. Yikes!
As humans, we’re naturally impatient. It takes effort to get this weak muscle to behave. Yet, we have lots of opportunities, don’t we? Checkout lines. Motor vehicle departments. Doctor’s offices. We’re always thinking there’s a better way.
If only we were in charge, we could figure it out. We could fix it, right?
Maybe. Yet maybe there are times when we simply have to trust God that He knows what He’s doing. If we are waiting, it could be that He is preparing us for, or possibly protecting us from something. We may not find out until months or even years later.
Here’s what I do know. God’s plan will happen whether there is traffic on the highway or not. His plan will happen as He has purposed, despite us sticking our nose in His business. Why?
Because God’s plans are perfect. And…they are perfectly planned just for us.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV)
As I waited in the parking lot disguised as a highway, I decided to listen to my son’s wise words and use the delay to thank God for getting us to that point safely. I thanked Him for the time my family had together. Before I knew it, the pedal was to the metal once more!
Giving God thanks through the delays of life. Now that’s a better way!