First Baptist Church of Herndon

The Right Exit

Linda Soller | Jul 18, 2016

A friend had arrived late and said, “I missed my exit!” She shook her head and added that with all the road construction, and cars entering the on ramps, she basically drove past her exit. Now we have all missed an exit, so why is this even a point of conversation? Well this was the exit she took every week, sometimes multiple times a week. She could not blame unfamiliar surroundings or a foreign location. To add insult to injury, this was a Sunday she had wanted to arrive at church a bit early. So her lateness was relative to her anticipated arrival time.

We humans are funny critters. It might be scary if we actually sat and thought about all the things we do without thinking, the turns we take, the schedules we keep, the routines in life. Once these things become patterns it can really be unsettling to slip up. How we respond to those slip ups can create great anxiety if we let it, or remind us we need a new level of focus.

When I was a kid I would marvel that my dad could seem to drive anywhere and remember the way he went for the next time. Didn’t he need a map? GPS in cars was not an option. When I married, my husband seemed to do the same. Since I wasn’t the driver I found it hard to relate. Now I do a lot of driving and SURPRISE! I am pretty good about getting where I need to go too. It started with focus. Which is handy when driving in Northern Virginia, trust me. But even in other parts of life we can learn habits and patterns which help us manage our days, work, and life. Even in faith, which often is not first on our “to do list,” we can learn habits and patterns which help us grow, learn, and serve. When we are learning a new direction we need to ask God to be our GPS and guide us where He wants us to go. Like my friend, who missed her exit, we will slip up from time to time. When that happens we need to re-focus on the task or goal at hand. My friend got to church, she didn’t miss anything except for a few extra minutes which would have made her morning less hectic. While she was disappointed, and a bit unsettled, I have a feeling God was smiling down. I could almost hear Him saying, “Girl, you got here safe and sound, now focus on why you are here. And by the way, next time, take the right exit!”

Have a great week!    : o)  Linda