U-Turns, Shortcuts and Waiting Idle
“You are here.” It’s the inevitable starting point of every journey – the coordinates on a map, a moment in time, the definition of one’s character. In math we learned that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. But when traveling the path of life, this is not always true. In reality, the distance between where you are and where you want to be looks more like a road trip through the Rocky Mountains than a brisk drive through the Prairies. Just when you expect your destination to be around the next bend, you hit a switchback road. You must continue driving in the opposite direction until you hit another switchback, and another, slowly inching your way up the mountain. There are no shortcuts, only the decision to keep moving forward.
Other times, the road opens up and for some distance you can enjoy the drive on cruise control. Then suddenly, with only a few kilometers left to go until you reach your desired destination, you begin to pass a series of orange signs. “Slow Down” … “Construction Zone Ahead.” Reluctantly, you take your hand off cruise control and step on the brakes. A person dressed in reflective gear and a hardhat greets you holding that dreaded florescent sign. And just like that, you are halted to a STOP. No detours, no U-turns. The only option is to wait idle and let construction take place.
Ask a child what they want to be when they grow up and their response will be filled with heroic adventure and adoring impossibility. We all dream of achieving greatness. The problem is, our generation has bought into the myth of the ‘Quantum Leap’, ‘the Overnight Prodigy’. So when we find ourselves in the reality of driving through the winding roads or stopped at life’s construction zones, what do we do? How do we resolve the tension between where we are and where we want to be when it seems like we’re stuck standing still, or worse yet, forced to drive in the opposite direction?
The reality is, there are no shortcuts to greatness. Success, whatever the definition, is not achieved overnight. Rather, “greatness is made in the moment of decision” (from Jeff Olsen’s book The Slight Edge). We can only look in one direction at a time. We can’t change the past and we can’t know the future. The only option is to choose the present. Good day or bad day, switchback or construction zone, we can’t let ourselves get caught in the trap of feeling like we’re not going anywhere. Sometimes, we must go slow to go fast. Certain events in life cannot be rushed. The good news is, there are 1,440 minutes in a day. That means we have 1,440 opportunities to make seemingly insignificant decisions that, compounded over time, will gain significant momentum and propel us forward into greatness.
Interestingly, life with Jesus can only truly be lived in the present. From eternity to eternity, He holds time in His hands. Yet, in the greatest moment of history, He chose to step into the limits of time so that we could enter into the promise of eternal life. He offers healing from our past, hope for our future and abundant life for today. So, instead of resenting idle moments, we can take advantage of them. And when the journey takes longer than expected, rather than looking for U-turns or shortcuts, we can choose to be grateful for a moment to be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him to act (Psalm 37:7).
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” ~ Psalm 27:14
“But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.” ~ Micah 7:7
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” ~ Romans 15:13
