Intersection

This morning when I was launching a series of errands, I thought briefly about which way I should maneuver my car through a particular area so that I could safely make a left turn. I figured a nearby intersection would be the best place to do that. And God told me, "The intersection is a safe place."

So, God, in His efficient, creating-things-by-speaking way, spoke both literally and metaphorically, and that's how this blog post came into being. I like Him. He's cool. Especially since today's sermon at my church kinda reminded me of my intersection revelation.

On weekdays, my morning commute to work usually averages around 45 minutes, and my evening commute back home can sometimes take an hour or longer. This lengthy drive used to freak me out a little bit, but now I cherish it because I often need a long drive after a long day. I use the drive time to unravel my brain and unclog my soul. While I drive, sometimes I scream, sometimes I laugh, sometimes I cuss, and sometimes I sing. But I talk things out with God. Or sometimes I just talk, and God listens like the good Friend that He is. And He counsels like the good Father that He is. And He helps me make sense of things like the good God that He is. And even if things don't end up making sense after all, He's still God, He's still there, and He's still mine. And by the time I get home, all the stuff that had been tangled up in my brain or clogged up in my soul have gone away for a little while, and I can enjoy my evening.

So, driving has been an extremely important activity for me, even though it can be a very mundane activity. Sometimes when you're moving too fast, even during the mundane day-to-day activities, you could miss something important. For example, have you ever driven past the Farmers Market in NRH at night? I had never seen that awesome display of Christmas-lights-for-sale until this evening.

Even stopping my car at an intersection can be an extremely important activity. Hmm. Maybe if I hadn't been adjusting my stereo right before I got rear-ended by that Hummer a long time ago, I could have avoided getting those Hummer marks on my bumper.

The intersection is a very interesting place. As God showed me this morning, it's supposed to be very safe place. If I'm stopped at a red light, I should be safe as long as I don't ease off the brakes, as long as my doors are locked, and as long as no freak accidents happen to me while I'm stopped. (Hummer at twelve o'clock! AAAGH! Nah, I'm kidding. Even the Hummer incident only imprinted my bumper.)

"Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He has mercy on us." (Psalm 123:1-2)

In my life, I think metaphorically, I'm at an intersection. I'm kinda in between seasons. I wrapped up a major, tremendous, huge season of healing/warfare/trials, etc. (Healing/warfare/trials will continue in my life, but this particular season had a concentrated mess of them.) And I think I'm about to enter a season of brand-new things happening. So, metaphorically, I'm stopped at a red light. I'm looking around at the life happening around me, I'm conversing with God who's always with me, I'm thinking about where I came from, I'm dreaming about where I'm going, I'm enjoying the scenery, and I'm paying attention for the light to turn green.

Have you ever been in the car with a driver who complains about red lights? Like, it's in the middle of the night, and you're in a very quiet part of town that has no traffic, and the intersection is empty, and the driver complains about stopping for nobody? Maybe they'll even defy the red light, hit the accelerator, and drive through the intersection anyway? (I've done that accidentally a time or two. Perhaps we all have.) I'm sorry, but doing that on purpose is annoying and dangerous. If you've got a problem with waiting a couple of minutes for a little light to turn green, maybe I shouldn't be riding in your car.

I like David's story in the Bible (1 Samuel 17) about the process he went through before he fought Goliath. King Saul was like, "Hey, you can wear my armor!" But David was like, "Uh, I can't even walk with this. Thanks, but I can't proceed with your armor." I understand that people have very good intentions, and friends dishing out free advice is what makes them good friends (Proverbs 27:9). But while I'm waiting at MY intersection in MY car for MY light to turn green, I need to listen to MY God and do what HE tells me to do.

What if I'm planning to go straight, and it's dark outside, and God's like, "You haven't seen the road ahead yet, because the signs are poorly placed. If you go straight, you'll encounter a dead end. Turn right instead." Or what if the light turns green, and my foot freezes, and I suddenly notice a too-late pedestrian meandering across the intersection? One time, I suddenly noticed a too-late car sprinting across the intersection. I'm glad I didn't have a lead foot that day.

So, I really think the intersection is an extremely important place. If I wait there the right way, it's a safe place. And I like this place. While I'm waiting, I can think about God's faithfulness and be extremely thankful for the way He's always been there for me (Psalm 37).

At the beginning of this post, I displayed a photo of my cat. He was looking right up at me, anticipating his next meal, being completely at my mercy. (Yes, of course it was a manipulated shot. I know exactly what to say to get him to look at the camera.) See how adorable he is? Especially when he's got his attention totally focused on me?

I gotta keep my eye on my Master. He's the One whose faithfulness I feed on. He's the One who knows the next step. He's the One who knows exactly what speed I need to go, exactly when I need to hit the accelerator, exactly when the light will turn green. I depend on Him. I need Him. I can't go anywhere, do anything, or be anything without Him. When He speaks, I need to listen. I need to wait on Him. And I like doing that.

I like Him. He's cool.