Stay in Your Lane

When I was 15, I was so excited to learn to drive and get on the road. I wanted to get my license so I didn’t have to rely on anyone else to take me where I wanted to go. I had gotten tired of waiting to get where I needed to be because we all know that 15 year-olds have so many important places to be. My parents decided that I needed to take Driver’s Education to ensure I was properly trained on the rules of the Texas roads (and because I was driving them crazy when they tried to teach me). One of the things that have always stuck in my mind from my Driver’s Ed. class was when my instructor said “stay in your lane, if you go into someone else’s you might get ran over”. Although I was learning the rules of the road, I have applied that advice to my entire life.

Romans 8:29-30 29For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; 30and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified

Life has a way of making you believe that you are not as awesome as God thinks you are. When you’re peering over into the lane that He made for someone else, you may be tempted to veer off into their direction because it looks like they’re moving faster than you are or heading somewhere much more glamorous than you. You could even see them speeding down the highway of life while you seem to be stagnant. And, if you’re like I have been at times in my life, you could even see those who aren’t even letting God do the driving achieving what you want. We have the inclination to want to jump in the driver’s seat, change lanes, and follow their lead instead of being patient and trusting God to get you to your destination safe, sound, and in a timely manner.

We frequently plant seeds of discontent at different seasons of our life and it becomes so apparent when it’s time to “drive”.  We compete with others at the things God predestined them for instead of trying to be the best at the purpose and the plan that He has for us. But just like on the road, when you take the bait and jump into someone else’s lane you will end up getting ran over. There is the attraction to step out of the will of God in order to achieve the success we perceive other people have gained. But what we don’t understand is the responsibility and sacrifice those people have given to be in the lane they’re in. We are on the outside looking in at their results but we don’t know the process they went through to live up to the calling God has on their life.

You don’t have to be a preacher to be called, you simply just need to realize you have a lane that God specifically created for you. We sometimes fall for the trick that if we don’t hold a title that someone else holds or if we aren’t in charge, we don’t have a lane. That’s the farthest thing from the truth. Before you were formed in your mother’s womb, God knew you. If He knew you, He had a purpose and plan for you before He ever formed the Earth. You don’t have to envy the lane or the vehicle that anyone else has because it was created specifically for them, not you. We find ourselves miserable and in pain because we have taken upon ourselves to jump in a lane that belongs to someone else or to try snatch the wheel out of the hands of the Lord.

In the age of social media that we are in, we will sometimes be lulled to sleep by what people choose to share with us about their lives. We may be convinced that they are living in a lane of perfection, happiness, roses, and gum drops. But before you turn your blinker on and hop into the lane that has someone else’s name it be sure that you seek the One who created the road.

What did God predestine you for? What are those things that He created you to do? That’s the lane you belong in, the one that’s not crowded because you were the only one made to ride in it.

With All My Love,
Mrs. Truscott