Life lessons: What I learned by sitting in traffic.

Welcome to a new series that I am starting called Life Lessons! Once a month, I will be sharing some life lessons that I have learned through seemingly ordinary things, like cooking or reading a book, or even just watching a show on television. I hope that this journey that you will be taking with me is as exciting for you as it is for me!

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I guess you may be wondering, “what in the world could traffic teach you?!”.  A lot, actually. For one, it can teach you patience: Learning how to wait your turn. It can also teach you selfishness; you know… those people that absolutely refuse to let you merge in because they wanna be one car ahead instead of one car behind.

Now, if you got upset at that last statement, I guess you are one of those people, lol. But let’s face it, we ALL have been in these situations and we all have been selfish at one point in our lives.

But, these life lessons concerning traffic go way deeper than just learning patience or being selfish. By sitting in traffic and allowing God to open my eyes to patterns, I have learned to be more forgiving of others and myself, not only in traffic, but also in life.

So, I would like to share with you some of most important life lessons that I learned by sitting in traffic in hopes that, they too, will change how you view life situations and people.

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#1.  People in the same lane as you are not always trying to get ahead of you.

This sounds contradicting, right? Because the fact of the matter is, some people in the same lane as you are trying to get ahead of you. But, what I learned that even though someone is ahead of you, whether it is concerning your career or lifestyle, that does not always mean that they are trying to out beat YOU.

Sometimes we feel as though people that are on the same track as us, such as co-workers/classmates/friends/family and even strangers, are ahead of us in life. They are doing more; progressing more; living life more. Sometimes, it feels like they are purposely leaving you behind in their dust.

But this is not the case. Everybody is running their own race even in the SAME LANE (Hebrews 12:1-3). Yeah, we may be taking the same exit; merging into the same lane; and even landing in the same destination, however, each of our purposes are different AND needed for whatever area we are to serve in.

#2. It’s OK to change lanes

Listen… I am the type of driver that gets into a lane and stays there until I have to get off onto my exit. Typically, I just stay in the exit lane until my exit comes and I occasionally change lanes. Annoying right?

Now, I don’t want to be a weaver; going in and out of different lanes, but staying in the same lane is not good either. It’s okay to change.

This lesson I applied not only to traffic, but to life,  period. Sometimes, we set our minds on something that we are not willing to be removed from. And, sometimes, that is a good thing, especially concerning our faith.

However, sometimes, God wants to remove us from our ordinary and place us in the extraordinary. He wants to add SUPER to our natural. But that won’t happen when are comfortable. It will not manifest when we stay in the same place.

The purpose and will that God has for us requires us to make MANY lane changes, which will require us to stay in some lanes longer than others, but eventually we do change, again.

Will we ever get used to changing lanes? Absolutely not, because change can be difficult no matter how small or big that change is. However, we can arrive in seat of expectation and contentment that when we do change lanes, God is forever with us. That wherever we go, He is already there waiting for us.

#3. When you have room, it is okay to speed up.

Continuing the discussion from above, when we stay in the same lane, we have a tendency to drive at the same speed. Ultimately, we know how traffic flows; when to speed up and slow down.

We become accustomed to doing something the same way all the time, that we develop a certain pace on how we complete these things. Some of us even have it timed down to the very second we will speed up or slow down.

But, when God requires us to change, sometimes we have to make room and speed up. Making room and speeding up does not mean to be quick, fast, and in a hurry; but it does mean that this is the time to move in an opposite direction and there is no time to waste. When you move, you gotta move. And when God tells you to go, YOU GO.

#4. It’s okay to let people in.

Listen… we all have been that person who refuses to let someone merge in. I can hear myself now, “Nope, not letting you in bruh. You better speed up. Find another lane. GIT!”. Sometimes, I find myself frustrated because so many people have gotten ahead me, slamming on their brakes, swerving in and out of the lane, that I become focused on not letting anyone else in so I can finally get to my destination without anyone being in my way.

Selfish, right? Letting people in is not going harm you anymore than them driving ahead and finding space further up.  I find that letting people in sets off a chain reaction of other people doing the same thing. Letting other people come in is like a sweetest fragrant aroma fulfilling the air and being pleasing to everyone.

Allowing people to come in your life, whether for a season or a lifetime, is a sweet experience because of the lessons it brings you, as well as the chain reaction of others repeating the same process that they watched you do.

It’s all about helping one another; having the heart to serve each other, even in traffic. Like I said previously, people in the same lane as you are not always trying to get ahead of you, they just want to get to their destination too. So, why not give them room to do so?

My final life lesson is this…

#5. Take your time; You are going to get to your destination eventually.

This one is special to me because I have to constantly and consistently remind myself of this everyday. Whether I am going to the store around the corner, or, I am travelling to my job that is an hour away, I remind myself that I do not need to rush to get to my destination, but take my time getting there because I will eventually get there.

I know, easier said than done, especially with the frustrations that come with being in traffic. However, I learned that becoming aggressive, upset, and impatient is not going to get me there any faster.

There is no use in speeding to get there either because I am putting myself and others at risk from being off the road, completely and literally.

It takes time to get where you are going and where God wants you to go. It is a process, a lengthy one at times, however, it is worth taking because so much can be done even within the process.

Getting to your destination does not have to always be a grueling task. There can be joy that comes from it, such as taking time to listen to a sermon or listen to a book. You can even talk to God and develop relationship with Him in the process.

There is so much that can be done and so much that can be sown and reaped within taking your time.

Make the best of it and enjoy it, now!

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These are life lessons that being in traffic taught me. They are very precious to me because I apply these lessons and principles everyday! In traffic and in life!

God has set up our lives in such a way that everything that surrounds us, even traffic, we can learn from and find Him in it.

So, never think you are without; you are always within!

Love yall and I hope this helped!

With love,

Love,

T.