in a traffic jam

Unbelievable! Last summer I travelled to Los Angeles and I could not believe the traffic. Everywhere, every hour of every day, every minute on every highway there was bumper to bumper traffic. This kind of intense circumstance create crazy people that felt confident to weave through cars as if this were some kind of videogame! Thankfully I was a passenger and not quite daring to drive in this unexperienced field. Yet, I could see the faces of frustrated drivers, anxious to move ahead just an inch, to catch the next exit and reach their final destination so they could just relax.

That feeling of being STUCK in the traffic of life is experienced by many of us. Just this past week I spoke to a couple friends of mine that are living through this. Each conversation echoed the other, they said "I feel stuck." There is a desire to move forward, to anxiously get to the destination that God wants for us (whatever that may be) yet, we are caught at a stand still. Not moving backwards, but not moving forward either. Just stuck.

sometimes we just need a push...

A parent bird will push their baby out of the nest so that they learn how to fly. The baby has no clue what is to come, yet naturally their wings extend and they begin to flap madly in order to save their lives. IF they don't fly they will die. Likewise, if you don't go for your dream, dare to take the adventure and FLY, your internal heart's desires get stifled and slowly die. It may take time to get there, but take those steps in the direction of your destiny.

Other times we need to learn how to wait. OHHHHHHHH to wait....what absolute torture. wait, wait, wait, wAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIT!!!! The test of patience that can only be divine.

A picture can say a thousand words....even the best of best need to learn to wait. There can be joy in waiting. You will reach your future final destination as you remain faithful in the present with the responsibilities that you have. I remember a friend of mine telling me a testimony of hers, she works as a missionary in Bolivia with street people. She said she always knew she wanted to be a missionary and help people, yet she was working in a veterinarian clinic cleaning out animal cages of feces and urine and the smell was so disgusting that she trained herself how to breath without smelling. When she was living that time of her life she could not understand WHY this was happening to her?  (ever thought about that in regards to your own life?) Regulating each breath, and keeping calm and contained were disciplined behaviour she had to learn before being successful as a missionary. Later in life, she would run and embrace people who hadn't bathed in weeks. She would be able to go under swamp filled bridges and in the smelliest parts of town to preach the gospel and invite the homeless into shelters. During her tortureous waiting period she learnt the best skills to enable her to do the Lord's work better.

WE CAN NEVER SEE THE FULL PICTURE ONLY PIECES OF THE PUZZLE.

There is purpose in waiting. Next time you are in a traffic jam, hold in the impatience, blast your favorite praise and worship song, and enjoy the wait time.

Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly. (Psalm 5:3)