I’ve been spending a lot of time in the car this week, driving back from a business conference. I am not a fan of flying so I decided to take the scenic route and enjoy the peace and quiet of several hours in the car alone. I know most of you would hate driving as much as I have this week, but it gave me a lot of time to think about different things and realize once again how God has so wonderfully directed my path.
During one particular stretch of roadway, I encountered miles and miles of construction. Construction delays are never something I want to see when I am on a long trip. I was already tired of driving and construction delays just made things worse. There was signage everywhere warning drivers to slow down and merge lanes. I noticed one particular set of signs instructing trucks to drive only in the right lane; I assumed that this was for safety reasons. As I looked ahead, I saw a long line of 18-wheelers in the right lane as far as my eyes could see. Every truck managed to follow the instructions and stay in their own lane.
Each of us has been given a God-given purpose and mission. What that mission or purpose is depends on the unique gifts and talents that God has blessed you with. We are all different but all of our gifts work together to further God’s kingdom. There have been many times in my own life where I have drifted or strayed from my God-given purpose or, sometimes, driven down the wrong path. My vision for what God’s purpose was in my life was totally different than God’s actual purpose for my life. In essence, I was driving down the wrong lane. I was out of place by trying to be something I wasn’t.
One of my favorite versus in the Bible is Hebrews 12:1 which says, in part, “And, let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us…” This verse makes a point to say that you have a race (purpose) designed for you. All we have to do is make sure we are in the right lane and not give-up. Trouble will always follow you when you are in the wrong lane. If you are going through one of those seasons in life when nothing makes sense or things just seem to be hitting a dead-end, ask yourself: “Am I in the right lane?”
Spend some time this week asking God to make clear your God-given mission and purpose and help you merge into the correct lane so that you can run YOUR race, not someone else’s.
