Yesterday I went to meet up with three old friends for lunch in a location convenient for all of us. Getting there and back required that I safely navigate five round-a-bouts. I’m writing this morning, so I obviously did, but not without a scary moment. Not everyone out there understands the rules of round-a-bout driving.
The round-a-bout concept is that it speeds up traffic because cars can safely merge into the flow rather than needing to completely stop. However, there is a safety caveat; one must yield to cars already in the round-a-bout and merge only when there is room to do so safely. The concept worked at the first four yesterday quite smoothly. But at the last one, I encountered a woman in a silver sports car who either doesn’t understand the meaning of the red and white triangular sign that boldly says “YIELD” or who believed her need for speed outweighed my need for safety. As I came around the circle and aimed for the interstate ramp, she rolled past the yield sign and cut me off. Luckily, the person behind me was going slowly enough that they, too, were able to stop.
As I shook off the scare and accelerated to merge into the interstate traffic, my mind was filled with the lesson of the moment – how easily we can overlook the needs of others as we rush to get what we want. And I sat down my irritation and prayed to the LORD for the gifts of presence and compassion: LORD, may I be present to those around me and not just empathize with their situation but be filled with the desire to honor their real needs in the moment, filled so full that it overrides my own selfishness.
This morning, that episode stays with me. As I think about life in our modern world, I realize that most of us are going as fast as we can juggling as many things as we can as well as we can. Presence to others sounds easy, but we all know it is more difficult than it sounds. It requires an awareness, an observant mind and heart. Following our beloved savior, Jesus Christ, is simple (our foot goes in his footstep) but not easy. It’s hard to juggle things in the air while keeping our eyes on Jesus’ “way.”
Jesus doesn’t just show us the way. Jesus is “the way.” And we know that Jesus is the full revelation of the Father, LOVE itself. And so, our minds should tell us automatically that progress on this road is only possible through acts of loving kindness, through selflessly choosing the path of compassion out of love for our LORD and for all our sisters and brothers, the very daughters and sons of God. I may not know the name of the woman in the silver sports car nor her human history, but I know the LORD’s desire for her.
It was just a fraction of my journey yesterday, those round-a-bouts. Yet that split second stays with me still. LORD, help me and those who are journeying with me to yield to your desires for us, your will for our world, and give us hearts and minds that are capable of seeing You in others and in seeking to give them what we can that they need in the moment so that they, too, may make the journey to You and to life in abundance.
Until tomorrow, let us all love well.
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