Do YOU have any reoccurring dreams? Say, for example, one about camping on the moon? No? Hmm, weird. I have camped on the moon at least EIGHT times! It’s always super fun – until my sleeping bag begins sliding (with me in it) and I fall off the moon into oblivion.
Well, if not that one, then have you had the one where you’re driving on a freeway at dangerously high speeds in a huge city with freeways weaving figure eights around you – uncertain as to how or why you’re in THIS city but definitely sure you lack the driving skills to navigate safely out… No? Not that one either? Really, come on…
Last year I actually lived out one of my reoccurring nightmares. No, NOT the moon dream, I’m sure that’s the one you thought I was referring to. Nope, sorry, it was the freeway one. I literally drove right into this crazy city I’ve dreamed about so many times – Tampa, Florida. Yes, I know… it’s not the cRAzIEst, biggest city in the world but for this driving-impaired, small-town girl it was large enough to usher in a full-on panic attack.
I felt like Dory reciting, “Just keep driving, just keep driving…” Actually, it was more like “Just keep BREATHING, just keep breathing…”
I had precious cargo in the back seat (little humans) which greatly heightened my sense of responsibility and fear.
Tears began to swell. But, I resisted the temptation to become a blubbering mess, “No,” I told myself, “I don’t have time for this. Not now anyways.”
God help me.
That was my whisper. That was my plea.
I shifted my eyes to observe the skyscrapers of downtown. Eeeks! – Did NOT help my anxiety…
I shifted my eyes another direction, observing dozens of cars simultaneously racing over, under, and beside me at 80 mph. Ahhhggg!… also NOT good…
God HELP me!
And that’s when I heard the instructions I needed:
Just keep your eyes on your own lane. Listen and follow the directions.”
No, Siri didn’t tell me this. Siri told me to take the next exit – which was also really good advice.
The voice I heard came not from my phone but, rather, from the still small voice of my Heavenly Father. He knows I need a lot of help – especially in driving.
“Keep your eyes on your own lane. Listen and follow the directions.”
I knew right then that those words were bigger than THIS moment of panic. There was a metaphor tucked in there somewhere but THIS was not the time or place for pondering life parallels.
When I got home a month later I began to ponder…
In life we all get caught in moments of feeling panicked by life racing around us. People coming and going, doing and living. Roads weaving up and over, down and under, with no beginning or end in sight. We look out and see high-rise buildings that scream SUCCESS and wonder who those people are and what road they took to get there?
In the craziness of life, we often doubt ourselves.
Am I on the right road?
Do I even know where I’m going?
Should I be headed that way?
What’s over there?
In confusing situations we sometimes lose confidence and start looking at others.
Where are THEY going?
Is their destination BETTER than mine?
They’re going faster than me.
Their vehicle is better than mine.
What?! They’re driving AND eating!
And after making our comparisons we draw our conclusions…
I’ll never be like THEM.
I’ll never make it THERE.
I’m just… ME.
Who am I kidding, where’s the next exit?
Yes, some drive faster and arrive sooner. Some own fancier and appear happier. Some are headed to the sky-scrapers and others to the slums. But where are YOU going?…
“Just keep your eyes on your own lane.”
God calls different people to different purposes and earthly destinations. He also equips us with unique gifts, talents, abilities, and personalities to get us there. “In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.” (Romans 12:6a) Sadly, too often we look across the lanes – observing, criticizing, and comparing – rather than staying focused on our own driving in our own lane! Friends, whatever our individual purposes or destinations may be, “let us run with endurance the race God has set before us by looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:1,2) We won’t get where we need to be by watching others and following them. To go where God is leading us we must keep our eyes on Jesus and our ears tuned to His instructions.
“Listen and follow the directions.”
I think turn-by-turn navigation systems, like Google Maps, were invented for directionally-challenged, map-illiterates like me. On that fateful Tampa day Siri gave me the step-by-step instructions I needed to navigate my way to the airport. I was placing my trust in Google Maps with the assurance that as long as I listened and followed Siri’s directions then I would end up where I needed to be.
The Lord is far more trustworthy than Google Maps and offers us an even greater assurance! He not only gives us directions on how to arrive at our final destination but also gives us instructions for navigating roads in the here and now, with detours along the way! “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.” (2 Peter 1:3)
Some directions are general and apply to everyone; in the same way general traffic rules help everyone avoid accidents. But some directions are more personal and specific: “stay in the right lane to take exit 212”, for instance. Jesus encourages believers with His own words recorded in John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me”. When we live in fellowship with Christ we will know the voice of the Lord in the same way sheep know the voice of their own shepherd. If we listen and follow His directions we can rest assured that we will end up where we’re supposed to be.
Life is full of lanes and destinations, drivers and vehicles. We need not panic, nor give into road rage. Instead let us find help in the words of Isaiah:
Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left. Isaiah 30:21
Wow – the voice of our Heavenly Father whispering specific instructions, “This is the way you should go…”. Now that’s even better than Google Maps! So, fellow drivers, just remember “Keep your eyes on your own lane. Listen and follow HIS directions.”
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Niki Schemanski is a wife and homeschooling mother of three children. A love of singing led her into an early career of performing and public speaking throughout Alaska and in various parts of the nation beginning at eight years old. After college, she spent more than a decade on staff as Worship Pastor at New Life Assembly of God in Kenai, Alaska. Niki’s desire is to “taste and see that the Lord is good” is what fuels her ministries in writing, leading worship, teaching, and birth coaching. She and her family reside in Durango, Colorado.
Love this! I was just this morning listening to Beth Moore’s Entrusted podcast about the same thing: Can we be faithful with the gifts and talents with which WE were entrusted…not someone else’s? Keeping our eyes on our own lanes is key, isn’t it? Beautiful?
Thank you Jaimee! I might have to look up that podcast and take a listen! I got to listen to Darlene Zschech speak a long time ago and I still remember her saying, “Just be faithful with what God has put in YOUR hand, only He knows how much you can hold at one time.” There are so many ways to look at this truth ~ and STILL I feel like we need to remind ourselves of it OFTEN! 🙂