changing lanes

I'm a terrible merger.

I'm the driver you hate to see coming down the on-ramp because you can tell I'll be entering the highway just as you'll be going by.

And it's not going to be pretty.

I nearly caused two fender benders - or worse - last weekend when I was going to pick up my son from college.  I have to say the other drivers, whom I could have intersected with and sent their insurance premiums sky high, were the nicest, kindest auto operators I have ever had the opportunity to almost-accidentally meet.  They saw my stupidity error, stopped their car from full motion to a dead on halt and waved me on, allowing me to enter the lane I had missed while figuring out if I should be heading north, south, east or west.

I did this twice, mind you.

In one trip.

Drivers, beware. 

This is like my life.   I have my day all planned - heading north after the morning rush hour is over and the living is easy.  I'm tootling along, all smiles, when all of a sudden - WHAM!  Out of nowhere something barrels into my perfectly pre-planned Daytimer road map and throws my entire schedule and, quite possibly, emotional well being off into Never Never Land. 

The smiles are gone. You can be sure I'm laying on the horn, yelling at the intruder to stop, and wondering where on earth THEY learned to drive....Sears????

How dare they come up in my blind spot and just run me off the road.  I had plans. I had a schedule.  I was going somewhere.

But was it where God wanted me to go?

Important question. 

More often than not, when life slams into me it's because I was on the wrong road.  And since I'm usually too stubborn to be swayed by gentle, subtle reminders, Jesus needs to take a 4x4 four-wheel drive offroad vehicle and steer it into my lane to get me to move over onto the right path that will really get me somewhere.

Because He paved it.  Not me.

If I'm wise, I'll stay on the road He puts me on. 

While it's not necessarily straighter, smoother, or less hilly than the lane I was in, the markings are clearer and the way was designed with only me in mind.  It's like a personalized highway.  Beth Coulton Boulevard. I rather like that.

So maybe it's time I let Him drive, throw that Daytimer out the passenger side window, stop navigating and just enjoy the ride.   For once.

Sounds like a plan to me.