I have always been fascinated by stoplights. More particularly, the stoplight near my house. Each day, thousands of cars pass through. Green cars. Red cars. And everything in between, each being driven by an individual or maybe not, given “self-driving cars” these days, to a destination.
Almost every time I wait at the stoplight, I pause to look at the people in cars around me. I wonder how they are doing and what their day was like. I hope it was good. I hope they are well. Yet when I sit there, I wonder if people think the same as they stop and look around. I recall my past days sitting at the stoplight anxiously awaiting the light to turn green so I can move along with my day…
I am reminded of the day I sat waiting while singing and grinning ear to ear because it was 80° out, the weekend, and I had just got off work.
I am reminded of the day I sat waiting while crying so hard that I could barely see because I was so anxious about making the wrong decision.
I am reminded of the day I sat waiting while softly smiling knowing that my high school experience had actually taught me something greater than I ever expected.
I am reminded of the day I sat waiting while feeling buried in the emotions that followed the loss of my grandpa and kindergarten teacher.
The average person on any given day could have looked over at me and assumed one of these four situations or maybe none of them. My point is, my experience/day has been different each and every time I have sat at that light. The same goes for everyone around me. And you might be thinking “Well duh Anna, everyone is not you” and you would be correct! That is exactly my point.
I am fascinated by the fact that tens of thousands of people pass through that intersection each day and have their own stories. Their own life. Their own feelings. Their own purpose. And that is something worth celebrating!
These days it is easy to get down on ourselves. The busyness and seeming expectations the world throws at us can make us feel like we are not valued. In many regards, society tells us that we do not matter if we fail to fit into the “_____” mold. Let’s just be real here, the only “expectation” we should simply be looking at is to embrace being the person the Lord made us to be. Living our story to the full. The Lord is writing a beautiful journey on our hearts. Somedays the path might be more enjoyable than others, but it still has meaning. There is good happening and He is working. Life is an adventure, and with the Lord, it will always be a good one.
Next time you are out driving and get stuck at a stoplight, take a second to pause. Where are you now? What are you feeling? Take a look around. Think of all the moments that have brought you to this exact moment and give thanks to the Lord.
You will be surprised as to what a stoplight can teach you.
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