Hands were wildly flailing from inside the vehicle. There was only one lady in the SUV. The erratic activity was not immediately noticed by me. The traffic intersection was not simple. Two left turn lanes in two directions, right turn only signals, straight traffic in 4 directions. So why was the person in such animated form? There were several vehicles stopped waiting in every direction for their signal to turn green, obviously in respect for others in the traffic pattern and obeying the law.
However, this one person in this one vehicle was evidently not satisfied with fact that the light for her did not change to green. She was gesturing in an upward motion towards the villainous traffic signal that WOULDN’T change. So, I guess there was a belief that the more animated she was towards the light itself, it would somehow hurry and finally let her go! Since there was sufficient traffic where the light I was at, my turn light changed back to red before all the cars got through. So, I had the pleasure of watching this through another cycle.
But to me, there was an obvious reason her light never changed. She must have thought lights went through entire cycles, not knowing that computerization is used to optimize traffic flow by “sensing” vehicle presence by wire detection loops embedded in the pavement, just prior to the very large and wide strips of white paint on each lane that indicates the stopping point. When there is no vehicle “sensed” behind the line, the traffic control computer doesn’t change the light green, so other lanes can get the green sooner and keep traffic moving. Each lane in any intersection is equipped with this traffic control setup.
Evidently, NO ONE explained this to this driver, who drove PAST the large white line and ended partly into the intersection! Only when a driver came up behind her and occupied the proper spot to trigger the computer, did the light eventually change to green. When it did, she gestured and mouthed a response that said, “FINALLY!” Little did she know that it changed for the driver BEHIND her.
It’s amazing how we travel through this life, doing the things that we believe the Lord is asking us to do. But some of us can overshoot a stopping point arranged by the Lord, and we get frustrated when we don’t get the “Green Light” to go ahead. We search and reason why in the world things are not moving along predictably. That’s because we can go further than God directed us to go. Sometimes all it takes is for us to back up a little and wait for God to give us the “Green Light” to proceed. I know that sometimes I am driving on a very familiar road, and drive straight through a light when I should have turned left to do something. I got into a habit of going somewhere, and wasn’t paying attention!
When doing things for God, we MUST pay attention because He may need us to change direction of our paths, speed us up because we are too cautious, slow us down because we have gotten ahead of ourselves, or sometimes stop us completely while we rest.
“Lord, we need You every day, in every activity. You are a Lord of action. You are the Lord of being still. You are the Lord of directional changes. You are the Lord of personnel changes. You are the Lord of career changes. Please instill in us the discernment to Your leading, and guide us NOT to be frustrated in following YOU! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”