My parents, affectionately known as Dave and Ging, were just visiting us from Atlanta, and we decided to take a road trip. San Diego is full of beautiful views, from the Pacific Ocean to the surrounding mountain ranges. When you live here, it just becomes part of the backdrop but when you’re visiting it’s all very new. Dave seemed to really be “taking it in” as we were driving. It was easy to tell; every time he would look off to the left or right and yell “Ging look!” we would begin drifting. So much so that he was making everyone in the car sick from swaying back and forth. I finally took over driving and just let him look on. It’s so easy to forget how we drift off course when we remove our focus on what’s before us. Lane drift has the potential to not only hurt the driver but affect everyone around us.
At the beginning of the year, I like to start with a reflection time with God. I entered this year with the thought … stay in my lane and focus on what’s before me. A simple reminder to keep focus. However, this being my last year of my 20s, I have often found myself looking to my left and right, reflecting on all I’ve accomplished or not accomplished up to this point. The tendency to compare with friends from college has been hard to escape, giving way to lane drift.
And then there are those moments when life just hands you one…
On my way to the doctor this week I was met by the sudden lane change of the gentleman in front of me. I admit my initial reaction was not as graceful as his deliberate cutting me off without signaling move. However, I quickly realized we were heading to the same destination. As I pulled into the parking garage, I had a reality check, oh yeah, I’m a pastor and having an exchange of words would not be beneficial to either party. So I pulled it together.
Lately, I’ve had a number of unexpected lane changes: just last week I got a call from my dad, he had just been laid off, a close friend has been battling cancer and other friends struggling with depression. It seems like life is all too good at cutting us off without signaling.
It’s in these moments I am reminded of the words of the Apostle Paul in his letter to Timothy.
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:12)
This year, like any other, has unfolded drastically different from the idealistic scenario I imagined in January. There has been some change for the good and some hard turns, but I continue the good fight towards that which God has set before me. After all, we’re all headed to the same destination.