Daily (Almost)
Trek
by Tommy Deal |
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Almost every day I am “traveling” somewhere.
Unless I am traveling out to one of our churches or
another location for a meeting or a speaking engagement,
one will find me on Interstate 4 between Orlando and
Lakeland. During this first year as Associate Coordinator
many have asked me about my “commute.” The
answer I usually give is “it has become my spiritual
journey!”
In reality it has in more ways than one. Most of the
time, I find it as a good time to “listen.”
I usually listen to “talk radio” getting
caught up on the news of the day and the hundreds, yea
even thousands of opinions that go along with it. Easy
listening and Christian music radio is another favorite.
All of these, of course, give regular traffic reports
which aide me in decisions of the route to take.
When radio doesn’t suffice, or I can’t
find what I like, I pop in a CD. Sometimes a book on
CD is a great way to brag that I’ve “read”
a good book recently. Many times it is a music CD. Whatever
the medium, I listen. Some of what I “hear”
goes in one ear and out the other. Every once in a while,
something goes in one and camps out on a brain cell
and I have one of those “a-ha moments.”
This morning (the day I am writing) was one of many
that I find myself maneuvering the “Nascar”
style traffic heading west on I-4. You know the type
I’m referring to: 65+ mph, lots of cars and trucks
bunched together, and everyone “jockeying”
for position. Right around Walt Disney World you lose
one west-bound lane. I know it is there; I’ve
handled it hundreds of times; I’m preparing for
it. When all of a sudden a Dodge Ram green pickup truck
flashes up from the rear at a speed which makes me appear
to be sitting still. He swerves around me and glares
at me like it was my fault that he did not have clearance
for take-off.
Well, I did what we all do—I gave him a “holy
honk” of the car horn. Racing through my mind
are thoughts of anger, disgust, ridicule and judgment.
Just prior to this I had popped a CD into the player
by a male trio of Southern Gospel music that I was introduced
to about five years ago. I love their music and style
and presentation. It is classy Southern Gospel. Usually
one will pass me and observe me singing at the top of
my lungs along with them as their “fourth”
singer to make it a “real quartet.”
Wouldn’t you know that God sends a message to
me, for me to “hear” in my listening in
that particular moment? The group is singing “I’m
happy with you Lord; I hope you’re happy with
me.” Oh, boy! I got the message! In that moment,
I did not portray one whom the Lord of Heaven and Earth
could be happy with. I had not given a “good witness”
to that other driver. Rather than voice a prayer of
thanksgiving for His protection upon me and the Dodge
Ram driver, I was having feelings of anger that the
other driver felt entitled to the piece of asphalt that
I was occupying.
Oh, Lord. Forgive me for not listening as intently
as I should during my Daily Trek
January 6, 2006
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