Hmm...which lane shall I take?

                                                                                              Adela Langa, Dominican Sisters of Adrian

A few weeks ago, as I was driving home, I got stuck on the Kingshighway ramp exiting 64.  Before I could change lanes, I was surrounded by cars.  The lane to my right though started moving faster, and I wondered whether I should change lanes.  Then the lane to my left was moving and I had the same question.  Yes, patience is not one of my virtues yet, but I am working on it, and apparently, I find myself in situations that invite me to practice it abundantly J

Just to add to my frustration, I see the light turning green on my lane, but the cars are not moving, and as appealing as the use of the horn was, I refrained myself knowing that the person in front of me had nothing to do with what seemed to be a lack of appropriate response: drive on green.  Stop on red.  As you can probably guess, my patience was far from approaching stellar achievement.  But looking around me at the cars moving on the other two lanes, I paused and realized that staying on the lane I had chosen initially was the wise decision to make.  I knew why I was there.  I knew where I wanted to go.

Discernment is similar.  We might be tempted to switch lanes when we are not moving at the speed that we would like.  We might be inclined to think that another lane might take us faster to the place we want to go –and sometimes that might be so.  Most of the time, however, knowing why you are where you are is enough to commit yourself once more to the direction you want for your life. 

And guess what?  When I finally made it to the top of the ramp, I realized that the reason people were not moving on green was because of traffic congestion –one that I could not see from where I was stopped initially.  Sounds familiar?

Waiting even on green light reminds us how interdependent we are.  Our journey is never in isolation but rather in community.  In case you’re wondering, Copernicus called.  I am not the center of the universe.  Are you?