Staying In My Lane

"Stay in your lane." 

That was the advice my friend and internship adviser gave me time and time again when I worked with her. And she tells me that even now whenever I talk to her. That advice has come back to me a lot lately.

Most days, I want to be somewhere other than I am. I want to be fully licensed and good at my job. I want to own my own house and be settled and have my future all laid out. I'd like to get married. I'd like to be perfectly healthy and a model of intuitive living. I'd like to have more time to invest in church and things that matter. But right now I'm not in any of those places. I am where I am.

Staying in your own lane is important while driving. It prevents accidents and injuries and head on collisions. It makes sure you get where you're going.

I'd like to be better at my job, but right now I am young and inexperienced. I can't help that. I need this time to gain experience and knowledge.  Staying in my lane looks like staying the course, attending training, and being open and responsive to criticism and feedback.

I wanted to buy a house so badly, and I was extremely disappointed that it didn't work out. But now I see that living at home with my parents is good for me right now. Staying in my lane right now means living at home, paying minimal rent, saving what money I can, and really investing in family relationships.

I'd like to get married, but forcing that issue isn't going to get me into the kind of godly relationship that I want. Maybe God is preparing someone for me and me for someone, and I need to give it time. Maybe God is removing barriers to a good relationship from that guy's life and mine. Or maybe marriage is not a mile marker on this road of my life. Maybe the lane of life I am in is leading me to a destination other than that of having a husband and a family. I don't know. Staying in my lane right now looks like waiting, watching, and growing my relationship with the bridegroom of the church, Jesus Christ.

I am irritated about some of my health issues. I sometimes think I should start some intense workout protocol or diet to "fix" my problems. But then I think that I like my life and don't want to focus all my efforts on improving just my physical health. Instead, I need to stay in my lane and keep taking reasonable and moderate steps towards becoming holistically healthier, mind, body, soul, and spirit.

I get excited when I hear about good things going on at church. I want to jump on board and start helping, but I don't have the time or energy to commit to doing so. Staying in my lane looks like keeping up with my commitment to singing on worship team and being supportive of the other things happening. Maybe I will have the opportunity to get involved in the future.

Speeding gets you tickets. Comparison distracts. Passing can be dangerous. So I'm staying in my lane, driving at a reasonable pace and seeing where God takes me. He's the one who's got the road map for my life anyway.