Lane Changes
“What if you didn’t make it?” was the question posed to me after I had just driven my truck over a snow-covered, divided-highway curb.
Now I’m not advocating for all of you to start taking your mini-vans, sport-sedans, or work trucks and start hucking them over concrete barriers on highways. But I am advocating for getting in the lane you are called to and never answering that question.
I was in the middle of Washington D.C. traffic on a Saturday evening and in a bit of a rush to get home. Jan had called the night before and informed me that she and the boys were fine, but our furnace was not. Our water pipes were not happy as well with the freezing temps, so she was doing her best as a pioneer woman to keep the heat rolling, the water flowing, and two young, young boys happy.
I needed to get home.
It’s brutal to sit in traffic and go nowhere fast. But it gets worse when the snow flurries start stacking up and soon there’s a few inches covering the road. It’s an instant recipe for people to make poor decisions and freak out. And with that I decided to start navigating the roads that crisscrossed our nation’s capital in an effort to find a new way home; one that was less crazy.
I almost had it; we were just outside of Leesburg, Virginia when I discovered that my way home was in the lane just to my left. But between me and that lane towards home was a concrete divider covered in snow; roughly 18 inches high.
Conventional wisdom might say that I could continue in my lane and make my way back to where the lane change was “allowed” by simply taking a longer route. I could get there eventually through other paths and other roads. Many would suggest this is the preferred route, especially if they think there is plenty of time to eventually get themselves in the right lane. There’s safety in not making a change when you think that all roads will eventually lead you back to where you can decide to make a lane change that is smooth and comfortable.
Circumstances can dictate decisions though too. And I needed to get home to my loves. I wanted to be with them…now! Have you ever felt that tug, maybe not the exact story but a sense of calling and love that caused you to make a move without regard to much of anything else? The main thing was the main thing and there was no denying that pull towards a placement next to them. Not much else mattered at that time because I could not stay in the wrong lane and experience a together family.
In between my discovery of being in the wrong lane and my successful median-mashing I ran a calculated risk assessment. It took all of 3 seconds. It wasn’t doubting my driving or my truck’s ability, but I was thinking through how to place my tires on the curbing so that I could make it up and over. In my mind I had already made the decision. Now I just needed to take a few steps towards that lane and commit! I took my front left tire onto the curb and with a steady throttle we got each tire up and over. For all I know Jesus could have shoveled all of the snow off the curb and pushed my truck over as well!
Once the back tires landed on the lane that would take me home, I pressed the gas and we headed towards home. It was still snowing. It would still be treacherous. The way would still have adventure along the way but at least I positioned myself in a lane that was pointing home.
Driving in and around Washington D.C. is chaotic. Especially in snowy conditions. Everyone is in a hurry and everyone is looking for a way to get…home. It’s not all that different than our souls. Some are always in a hurry. Some are hardened and have a “road-rage” attitude. Some rely only on GPS and choose to have others decide their path. Others just drive around aimlessly until they get to where they think they need to be! Eventually everyone needs to know the road they are on and where it leads.
I think there’s a call on your heart that will put you in the right lane if you answer it. Please don’t deny that. And if you sense that don’t delay that lane change. There will be a choice you need to make and perhaps the lane change will be a bit bumpy. But that longing of love and purpose from God can call you over and set you on your way home. Making that change can change your course and your life!
My passenger wanted to know what I was going to do if I had perched my truck on the top of a concrete barrier in northern Virginia. I never really thought that far to be honest. The path we were on was not right; end of the story! So, we had to change lanes. My answer was “Well, that’s a question I’ll never have to answer because we didn’t!”
Take inventory of the lane you are traveling. If you are in one lane and Jesus is calling you in that next lane over…well, do what you need to do to get there! Let go of some things, reach out, soften your heart, climb over a median, do whatever you need to do to get in His lane.
When you decide to get in the lane Jesus is in, you’ll never have to answer the question.
