Along for the Ride

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1

A few Fridays ago, Matt had planned a date night to celebrate our anniversary. He bought movie tickets for 4:10 PM and his plan was for us to leave the house at 3:30 PM. 

We took the backroad by the high school and quickly realized classes had just been released. Students flooded the crosswalk while the flow of traffic started constraining the intersection at the same time. From nearly 10 minutes at the stop sign and five to six traffic lights later, it had taken over 20 minutes just to get from our house to the freeway from what would have normally taken only 10. As we sat at each of those red lights, we knew that we were going to be late, yet there was nothing we could do about it. Getting frustrated about it would only make it worse. We arrived at the theater parking lot around 4:20 PM and rushed inside. Thankfully the movie had just begun when we walked in and we didn’t miss any of it. 

The point of this story isn’t to complain about traffic or almost missing the start of a movie, but because of that scenario, God taught me an important analogy.

In our lives, we tend to have a “destination” in mind. It’s the thing or outcome that we want. However, we can’t always control the timing of when we “arrive” at that destination. Like sitting in traffic, we just have to be patient with the curveballs that come our way. It’s naive to think that there won’t be any red lights, stop signs, or re-routing in our lives as we follow Jesus. After all, He’s the one in control anyway. 

Another way to look at this is that Jesus is driving the car and you are the passenger. Maybe He decides that He wants to take you through the backroads or take the longer route. In your own understanding, it might seem unnecessary or unfair…but because God is all-knowing, all-caring, and all-loving, He knows the best route possible even if it feels frustratingly slow. 

Abraham and Sarah were given a promise of descendants, yet they didn’t know just how long God would make them wait until Issac was given to them. (They had to wait 25 years, in case you didn’t know)! They were getting frustrated “in traffic” and decided to take it into their own hands by using Hagar to conceive, which caused a whole host of problems… and here’s the thing, it didn’t change the outcome! Issac was still the promised child. God still made them wait.

When we get impatient with the waiting or think that God wants us to make His promises happen in our own strength, wisdom, and timing, then we run ourselves into trouble. Just like trying to circumvent traffic or speeding around cars usually doesn’t do anything except increase your risk for an accident or a ticket!

All in all, our attitude as we rest in the passenger seat is equally important. God doesn’t want us to inflict suffering upon ourselves in the waiting. He wants us to enjoy the ride. We often focus so much on arriving at the destination that we make the journey miserable. We keep asking, “Are we there yet?” or try to give God directions or grab the steering wheel from His hands instead of noticing the views out the window and taking advantage of the quality time for conversation with Him.

Having this perspective gave me a 180 on a “destination” I’ve been hoping to arrive at. I realized that I had been making my journey painful instead of finding joy in it. Trust me, I know this is all easier said than done. But this is part of our Christian process of renewing our minds and becoming transformed because of it (Romans 12:2).

Take a Moment

Have you been trying to take control of God’s timing and/or have you been angry at Him for not making it happen yet?

I’m sure there’s also a “destination” in your life that feels like you’ve been on the road for forever and you’re probably thinking of it right now– it could be for healing, financial provision, a career change, a new place to live, a spouse, growing a family, or maybe it’s simply just wanting Jesus to come back. Whatever the case is, I encourage you to let go of the timing of the destination and embrace the present moment where God wants to meet you right now. You can trust that He has the steering wheel in His hands and knows how to get there a lot better than you do.

Trusting that you are along for the ride with God is what it means to live by faith.

-Alina