You Are On the Fastest Route

Yesterday I had a delightful lunch with a good friend in South Jordan.  Afterwards I decided to take advantage of being in Salt Lake County and get some shopping done at a mall about 8 miles away.  It was 2:00 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon, I figured traffic wouldn't be bad.  

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Those who know me, know that I have the worst sense of direction in the history of all mankind.  I get lost in Boston and they even have a trail to follow.

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So even though it was close, I plugged Fashion Place Mall into my phone and headed towards I-15.  

Yes, it's true, I need google maps just to go 7.7 miles. 

Before I left the Market Street Grill parking lot, my navigator's voice interrupted my Hamilton musical soundtrack.

"Even though you will experience heavy traffic, you are on the fastest route."  

Now I'm a heavy user of all sorts of navigation systems, but I have never heard this before. 

Here are just a few on my iPhone

 I thought it was odd, but proceeded to follow the directions anyway.

No sooner was I on the road towards the on ramp, and I got stuck in traffic.  I had to wait for two lights just to get on the freeway.

I only needed to drive 3 exits.  Normally this would take about 7 minutes.  But traffic was backed up.  Turns out there was a three-car accident ahead.

Now, I'm someone who absolutely hates to get stuck in traffic or wait in lines.  I tend to have that "step over a dollar to pick up a dime" mentality.  I'll drive an extra 10 minutes if it means I can avoid a couple stop lights.

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As you can imagine, at first I was going crazy parked on the highway.  And then I remembered the words

"You are on the fastest route."
As I sat there watching the large trucks in front of me inch their way forward, I saw cars in the lane next to me whiz by.

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I thought, "I should have picked that lane, but instead I'm stuck behind this huge semi."

Just a few thousand feet later I saw those cars also stuck.  I passed them by thinking, "I'm glad I didn't get in that lane after all."

Eventually I made it to the accident and could see that no one was seriously hurt.  No emergency vehicles, just a police officer trying to sort it all out.  Soon I was on my way and made it to my destination in no time.

I sat in the parking lot and contemplated what had just happened.

How often do I experience "heavy traffic" on the road of life?  In times of heartache and trials it's easy to look at my neighbor and think, "I wish I had it as easy as her."

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  "His family is so loving and perfect, why can't I have a family like that?"  

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The reality is we all have our own heavy traffic.  Life is full of detours, flat tires, and even accidents once in a while.

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But one thing is the same for us all.  We all our children of a loving Heavenly Father who wants us back home.  He sent us our Great Navigator who knows how to get each of us there.

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I just need to trust that I'm on the fastest route.