Driving Lesson

This morning as I was driving to work I had one of those experiences that I usually only hear in a sermon. I found myself following a line of four or five cars going below the speed limit on a two lane road – you get the picture. It looked like the car in front was afraid to go any faster though the road conditions were not that bad. Of course there was no good chance to pass the whole line of cars so I engaged in internal dialog and discussed the situation with the Holy Spirit.

My natural instinct was to feel frustrated and impatient, but then I thought about all the instructions I have received over the past few years about such situations and how I should relate to others, even if I don't know them. I checked inside to analyze the condition of my spirit and unravel what was driving this natural compulsion. I realized that it was a desire for the person in the front car to go faster so I would not be inconvenienced. Looking deeper, I recognized that there was probably an addiction to force at work underlying this desire. It was time to adopt a new way of thinking at this point.

I decided that what I needed to do in place of indulging in complaining and impatience was ask for a spirit of peace. That would be facilitated by adopting an attitude of forgiveness for the slow drivers. This was a choice that I could make, to relax and remain in a non-judgmental mode. But it was a choice I had to make repeatedly as the urge to become impatient kept returning.

As I drove on down the road continuing this internal conversation, suddenly the whole line of cars slowed down and began to pull off onto the shoulder. I had to brake hard and quickly looked around to see if there was some serious problem up ahead that I hadn't noticed yet but I saw nothing unusual. Then I saw the answer. The line of cars was pulling into a cemetery where there was a tent set up for a burial.

As I went on down the road now unhindered by slow traffic I could almost see God's face, but He did not need to say a thing. I simply said, “I hear you, I think the point is obvious”. I then thought back over the last few minutes in self-analysis to see what I could learn. I realized I did not make all the wrong choices that I could have made. What I did remember was that knowing the circumstances is not important in choosing how to relate to others in situations like this. My attitude should not be based on knowing whether or not someone deserves my sympathy or consideration. I need to remain in peace and in connection with God irregardless of external irritations.

This may seem like a silly little incident. But life is made up of little lessons learned daily that go into building character and habits. So this was one more little lesson for me. And it reminded me of......