hurry up and wait

one thing about living in Chicago that never changes--the traffic sucks! we have a great public transportation, both within the city limits and to and from the suburbs, but most ppl still drive their own vehicles which causes lots of gridlock, headaches, and road rage on a daily basis.

but, every cloud has a silver lining.

i have always been a car-thinker. some ppl are bathroom deep-thinkers; some ppl do their deep thinking laying in bed at nite or in the wee hours of the morning. me, i've always been a car-thinker, preferring to have my deep thoughts behind the wheel on a long road trip...or, while participating in my [not-so] favorite pasttime--sitting in traffic.

i sit in traffic a lot these days, a lot more than i had for the last 18 mos that i was working downtown and Metra-ing everyday. i sit in traffic doing PC's carpool, driving to work appointments, and just plain getting from Point A to Point B. it can be a little nerve-wracking, but, on most days, i don't mind. it gives me time to return phone calls, listen to music, pray, and think.

i was thinking today--while in traffic-- about this concept of patience, and how my patience is tested and strengthened on a daily basis. i have to be patient with a 2 year old who is simultaneously trying to assert her independence while still clinging to me at every turn. i have to be patient while sitting in upwards of 2+ hours of traffic. and i have to be patient as i pray and believe God for answers, even if that answer is no....or not right now.

a good friend of mine has been wanting to become a member of a certain organization for quite a while. tho she is an excellent candidate for membership, circumstances outside of her control have been obstacles in her way on more than one ocassion. i am already a member of this organization and i shared with her a story that i thought would give her some encouragement. another good friend of mine became a member a year before i did. i remember sitting in the hotel lobby waiting to enter her celebratory luncheon and her mom (also a member) coming up to me, resting her hand on my shoulder, looking me in my tear-rimmed eyes, and saying "your time will come." little did i know that my time would come exactly one year later--but at that time, you couldn't have told me that. at that time, all i could see was the "right now"--and the right now was not what i wanted. but, unbeknownst to me, God had other plans, plans that i could not see and timing that i could not control.

i related that story to my friend tonite not only for her benefit, but also for my own. some of my dreams have been realized, but there are others that i am yet waiting to manifest. most days i am optimistic, but some days i get very discouraged and want to just give up. funny that i've been feeling that way this week because every single devotional/sermon that i've heard for the last few days have been on this issue of faith....longsuffering faith. believing and trusting Him even when what you can see with your natural eyes looks nothing like your hearts desires, the ones that He promised to give you--if you would just trust Him.

so, i'm thankful for this crazythick traffic and the inspiration it gives me just by being what it is--something i have NO control over, but have to muddle thru to get to my end goal--Point B. funny how that's analogous to life--the traffic jams of life we go thru that seem to last forever, with time creeping along at less than 10 miles per hour. the roadblocks/obstacles that slow us down...but also protect us from things that we cannot see.

i'm trying to keep my driving record clean and my insurance rates down...so, i think i'll just slow down a bit, roll the windows down, and enjoy the scenery--Point B isn't going anywhere.

care to join me?