Yesterday, my younger son and I dropped off my husband and older son at the Ronald Reagan Airport (in DC) for their flight to Florida. After eight years of these annual national tournaments, this will be my son's last club volleyball tournament. We had hoped to make it a family trip, but with my daughter's summer school exam schedule, we had to pass on this one. So since we weren't going, it was more cost-efficient to be the designated chauffeur than leave a car at the airport parking lot.
I had driven to this airport hundreds of times without a navigation system and never had a problem, so I didn't expect to have one this time. However, on our way to the airport, we noticed cars lined up like a parking lot on the other side of the highway (the direction of going home). After a quick discussion with my husband and a scan of the Waze App, we found a route that avoided traffic. It was through the city and several neighborhoods, but it appeared simple. Well, looks can be deceiving when driving in DC.
I'm embarrassed to say that even after living in the DMV (DC, Maryland, and Virginia) area for 48 years, I am still unfamiliar with it and uncomfortable driving in the city of Washington, DC. Oddly, I'm more comfortable driving in NY City because of their grid system. Yes, the city never sleeps, so there's always traffic, but if you make one wrong turn, you can drive up a block and reroute back to your original destination. Unfortunately, in DC, if you miss your street, you must maneuver through twists and turns before you can reach your final location. With the constant construction and rush of traffic, I tend to drive white-knuckled and borderline anxious. (Don't judge me.☺)
Even with the App pumping me visual and audible directions, we had to make four detours, and one U-turn, to reroute back home. I think the main issue was the sign placements of the streets I was guided to take. Either a tree branch covered the sign, the sign wasn't directly in front of the road, or it didn't exist at all.
Our ride started pretty smoothly. We didn't recognize any streets that the navigation directed us to, but my son and I followed them. We avoided popular landmarks, so we didn't have to hassle with city traffic. My son discovered a secret fishing spot, and I calmly drove until I missed the first turn and had to reroute. And then again, again, and again. What was wrong with me? I tried to follow the directions, but it wasn't obvious when or where the turns were. Usually, you hear something like, "in 500 hundred feet, turn left". Or the purple highlighter is showing you the street to turn into. Either I didn't see the sign confirming the road, or the navigation wasn't updating my movements. Maybe I was too focused that I lost focus? Or was I distracted by the scenery? It could be I noticed the sign only after I passed it? Who knows. After the fourth detour, the white knuckles tried to make an appearance, and the frustration penetrated my peace. Nevertheless, even with all the alternate routes, we returned home earlier than expected.
I commented to my son that this drive was blog worthy, and I had to share it this week. The Holy Spirit initiated the following dialogue with me:
How often have you tried to reroute yourself from God's original plan because His was taking too long? Just as I noticed the traffic on the road toward home, without thinking twice, I immediately looked for alternate routes—anything to avoid sitting at a standstill.
Are you willing to wait and remain still? Sometimes not moving and staying in the "traffic" is what the Father is asking us to do.
“Be still, and know that I am God!" ~ Psalm 46:10 (NIV)
"The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” ~ Exodus 14:14 (NIV)
"Now then, stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes! ~ 1 Samuel 12:16 (NIV)
"But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again.”
~ Exodus 14:13 (NLT)
What are the triggers that convince you to go off course? Probably when I'm outside of my comfort zone and feeling hopeless.
Why do you keep missing the signs that Abba Father sends you? I expect exact coordinates for every step, the sign highlighting the road to enter. God may choose to withhold the map and only provide the compass. Even if the sign is not right in front of you in bright neon lights telling you where to go exactly, He is speaking and guiding you.
What about when you listen to others' advice? The guidance may be good, but it's not God's. During our commute home, I became confused with all the reroutes, so I listened to my son's instructions instead of the GPS. (**No fault of my son since he doesn't even drive and use a navigational system.)
The beauty of what the Holy Spirit highlighted to me was that even with all the detours I made during my drive, He brought me home safely and redeemed lost time. In life, He does the very same thing. Despite the many wrong turns, I can always make a U-turn and return to Abba Father. He will always welcome me back home and redeem me. And He will do the same for YOU.
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