Traffic Jam

   

        So I was sitting in traffic today and I was the happiest I could ever be. Now I know I know, traffic isn't the greatest gift to mankind. The science of traffic continues to amaze me as to how and why it takes so long to get from point A to point B in 45 minutes when on a good day, it would usually take 5 minutes. Traffic felt a little different today though. Sure I had somewhere to be and yes I was stuck in the dead center of it, but I was content. I had my Snarky Puppy going, Vitamin water in the cup-holder. Couldn't complain! While being stuck in the middle of traffic and being the happiest black man in the world I thought to myself, "Why am I so happy in the middle of this traffic jam?" The answer was found in my focus.
      Now usually when I get caught up in the 5 o'clock rush I'm always looking around trying to see where I can make my next move. I'm usually trying to see if I can get ahead of other cars, scoping out the quickest route through the annoyance of an obstacle I have ahead of me. I found out that I'm usually irritated, angry, aggressive, and apathetic to even making it to my destination. Although it's never that deep I tend to make it that way. But today was a different type of focus and that focus was the lane right in front of me. I noticed that when I focused on what was in front of me, I was able to make it to my destination without the irritation and annoyance of the drivers around me. I noticed that even in the middle of a standstill, I had nothing to worry about. One way or another I was going to make it to my final destination (pun extremely intended). You know where I'm going with this story so get your encouragement/motivational induced ears ready because we're about to get inspired.
      The journey of life can be stressful. I get it. It can be very annoying, extremely irritating and it can make you feel like there's no point in aiming to achieve anything sometimes. But I want to encourage you not to focus on the lanes of other people's lives. Focus on the lane right in front of you. Focus on the lane that God has specifically designed for you. It is His will that you prosper and grow! The traffic or should I say "traffics" of life are often times unexpected. They knock us off our feet sometimes. They cause us to look at the lives of other people. They cause us to ask questions like "Why am I not ahead?" or "Why have I been stuck in this same spot for the past 15 minutes?" And I get it, because it's not the 15 minutes of a traffic jam. It's the 15 days of being sick and almost bedridden. It's the 15 months of being unemployed. It's the 15 years of being depressed, suicidal, lonely....broken. But don't give up Man of God. Don't give in Woman of Virtue. God has begun a good work in you. And He will bring it to completion because He's more interested in the present condition of your heart than He is of your final destination....

Philippians 1:6