Driving
Through Life
It wasn't
until I slowed the car and rolled down the windows that I realized I
spend most of my days driving 'through' life without driving 'in'
life.”
Craig D.
Lounsbrough
I went to Costco
yesterday to put gas in my car. To get there, I had to get on the
459-beltway around Birmingham. I promise you that when I finally
stopped, I just sat in the car and thanked the good Lord that I was
still in one piece. Cars were zigging and zagging as though jockeying
for position at the Indianapolis speedway. I was driving above the
speed limit and a cement-mixer passed me with its
barrel turning! What if he'd had to slam on his brakes! Why on earth
are we in such a hurry?
I don't know if it's true
that life has really sped up, or if I have just slowed down. What I
am certain of is that I see people running traffic lights more often,
and people turning without using signals and without judging the
timing of the on-coming cars. We are in such a rush to get wherever
we're going that we're willing to risk our lives, and the lives of
others to get there five minutes sooner. Is this why we are so
distracted and plagued by busy-brain that will not shut off at night?
Is it the speed with which we move all day, and the tension that
causes? Our nervous systems are constantly on alert—and with good
reason!
It cannot be that
everything in our lives is critical; so critical that we must drive
like a bat out of hell to get to each next thing. Here's a good
suggestion from L.M. Browning in Seasons of Contemplation: “Take
all those things that would purport to be important, and weigh them
upon the scale of your soul, asking how much each thing impacts, not
just the moment, but the years ahead. Discard all that is trivial
masquerading as significant, and reserve your days for those things
that truly matter.” In other words, ask yourself, “In the
big scheme of things, how important is this? Will the rest of my life
hinge on my getting this right? Will flying to the next thing truly
make a difference?” If the answer is NO, then slow down, roll
down the windows, and enjoy the drive. You'll get there soon enough.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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