REACTIONS

  Well, if you know me, I rarely complain about traffic. I live in Metro Atlanta—traffic is a way of life. I get giggly driving on I-75, where the cars cruise at 70 mph. So, when I bypassed my usual stop in Macon, Georgia, I started to increase speed over the gradual hills. Much to my chagrin, I came up the hill to be greeted with taillights. The traffic slowed down to a crawl until it eventually turned into a parking lot.

If you haven’t experienced impatient drivers before, you’re one of the lucky ones. Sitting in traffic is an eye-opener and a people-watcher’s paradise. My first instinct was to turn on the GPS to see if it was reporting anything. No luck there. After about 10 minutes, I decided it might be a good idea to turn off the car and save gas. Then the show began. The restless drivers started getting out of the two-lane road and backing down the shoulder to get to the nearest exit ramp. Some of them maneuvered their cars around to face forward onto the shoulder to escape to the ramp—crazy drivers. I claim to be a decent driver, but there was no way I was going to jackknife my car and drive against traffic down the shoulder in reverse to the exit, risking falling into a ravine. I’m not that confident—my NASCAR skills are a bit rusty.

Listen, you know you’re in the south when you can roll your window down and talk to the guy in the F150 who can see better than you. I said, “Excuse me, sir, could you tell me what your view of this situation is?” “Big rig mishap, on its side. There’s a wrecker on the scene; that’s a good sign it won’t be much longer.” We assumed everyone involved was okay since we didn’t hear any sirens.

I kept our conversation going, “Why do you think these people are backing up to go down the access road? It looks a little dangerous to me.” He had a young daughter in the truck with him. She appeared to be about 10 years old. I’m sure she was enjoying the special daddy-daughter time. He replied, “Well, as long as I make it to church on time tomorrow, I’m fine with just sitting here waiting it out.” I bantered, “At least  we could stream it on our phones if we’re still here.” His response was, “You know, it’s not the same as being there present with other believers.” I took that as a wink from God, telling me that I was going to church the next day. This guy and I continued talking about how it was sometimes more beneficial to be in the church building with others, if you’re healthy, as opposed to just watching it on TV, phone, or listening to the radio. I can’t really explain it. Perhaps I’m more attentive in the presence of others. It’s not like I know everybody in my church, but maybe there’s somebody there that I need to engage with for some reason, precisely like this nice guy and his daughter. There’s a reason that we connected, if only for him to tell me he didn’t want to be late for church tomorrow. (By the way, I went to church the next day.)

God sent a beautiful breeze, so I was able to turn off my car and keep the windows down. Many people started getting out of their vehicles. After the flood of daredevils left, a truck pulling a camper was now my front view. A young lady exited the camper. Was that a plastic cup of white wine, or– you decide. LOL. I was taken back to the movie Two Weeks Notice with Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock stuck in traffic. IYKYK. People were walking their dogs, stretching their legs, and talking to their newfound neighbors. I had switched lanes and was now in front of the F150. Another guy was walking around talking on his phone. I noticed he had a holster. I called my husband, and he said I shouldn’t be in danger unless the guy were waving the gun around. UMMM? Doesn’t he hear the news reports? Hasn’t he ever watched crime shows on TV? I resisted rolling up my windows—I needed to save gas. The man’s smile encouraged me not to be afraid.

After 50 minutes of waiting, the wanderers got back into their vehicles, and traffic proceeded slowly past the remnants of a blown tire.

This inconvenience on the interstate gave me a topic for a blog post and reminded me that Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV) reads, “Give thanks in all circumstances: for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Just saying.

Do you have an experience that has caused you to take notice of your reaction?

Please share your comments below.