No matter how many times I have said that I would leave the house earlier in order to avoid morning traffic, I seem to end up leaving at the last minute. Snoozing that extra ten minutes, often costs me a half hour, thus stuck in rush hour. Does it sound familiar to you, or are you like my husband, an early bird who travels on the freeway, with just a few cars around him? Off course it is the ideal to have less traffic, less stress and more time to compose yourself before entering the office.
The truth is, we don’t just see it in the traffic to work, but also in the shopping centres, food courts, airports, restaurants etc. If the movie starts at 20:00, people are still queuing 10 minutes before the time, which means that once seated, you might have others that arrive late, only for you to get up and allow them to slide in, once the movie have already started. Let us talk about the airport.
Although you know you need to arrive 2 – 3 hours before the time, you cut it fine, by arriving just on time. Then, more than often, people stand in long queues and once they reach the front, they are told that they do not have all their paperwork in order, hence they miss their flight.
Off course there are exceptions like afternoon traffic due to insufficient infrastructure on roads to accommodate newly populated areas. Yes, sometimes systems at the bank are offline or electricity is out so traffic lights don’t work. However, most of the time, it is our own choices that could make a difference in the outcome. I mean, we live in the 21st century, right? Does this not mean more services are available online?
From shopping, researching, office work and buying tickets for a movie and even making a restaurant booking online, can save much time. Oh yes, and then back to rather not snoozing for that extra 10 minutes. So, if we have most of the answers on how to improve to avoid rush hour, why are we still struggling? For me, it is all about planning and then commitment to see that plan through.
Let us look at our relationship with God. Is it not the same? People often find themselves in situations, where they suddenly need God, after forsaking Him for years. Even as believers in Christ, we often don’t have our priorities straight and more than often, find ourselves in rush hour, all over again. We read news articles, watch CNN and end up wondering where is God in all the chaos of this world? Statistics are on the rise for terminal illnesses, divorce, suicide and death at a much younger age than thirty years ago.
What is going on and why are people so stressed? Did we not develop ways to make life easier? Well, each will have their own opinion, but for me the first and utmost important change is that people no longer desire to be with God like they used to. Families are rushed, God’s Word is no longer aloud in schools, hospitals, hotels etc. It is all about money, fame, and a good life. Is what the world experience now a good life? Wars are raging, there is poverty, deceit, hatred, anger and people prefer to live for their own.
I believe that we find ourselves in rush hour, because of the choices we make. Therefore, if we have been choosing wrong, that means we have a choice to choose right, by making better decisions and planning our lives in accordance with God’s will. This starts with God and making sure that we make right with Him, giving our hearts to Jesus and allowing His Spirit to direct and counsel us. It is time to make decisions about spending time in His Word and praying as families, husbands and wives with each other and with their children.
God says to us in Matthew 6:33 that we should first seek His Kingdom and His righteousness and that the rest will be added to us. So, let us make sure to start our day with Christ, to live throughout the day with Christ, to plan with Christ, to decide with Christ, to act with Christ and to end our days with Christ. Dear reader, I made changes to my life by putting Christ first, planning better, managing my time better, prioritising and using resources available to me, to live a more peaceful life. Did I give up my 10 minutes of snooze? No! I love to snooze, but I compromised by giving up something else.
Love in Christ, Princess K
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