Speeding to Slow Down

So I was driving home yesterday, and on my way home I encountered some unexpected traffic. Such is life in Chicago, so I sat, chilled relaxed, and realized that it really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. It's a relaxing drive and God used it to relax me and refresh my soul. Then traffic started moving again, so I just kept the chill pace, going the speed limit, or a little over, just grooving with the traffic around me.

Now I get to a spot that the road goes down to one lane either way, so I merge over, in step with 99% of the traffic on the road. Then there was the 1%. 1 car who was behind me tried to pass me as the lanes came together, realized he could not, let me in and then proceeded to flick me off and ride my tail for the next 6 miles. When the road did open up, he passes me, flicks me off as he does so and then gets in stop and go traffic right ahead of me. This guy was visibly pissed.

Now this did make me just sit back and laugh. How often do we let the little things in life stress us out and piss us off? How often do I let someone annoy the crap out of me? How ridiculous is that?

There are many things that are of more importance than us getting home those 15 seconds faster. There is so much more that we should express concern about ahead of the little clicks of someone else.

I think this all clicked for me when I sat with the cross this week. I've spent the better portion of the last 8 months just slowly walking through the book of Matthew. This past week I finished the book with a soul washing by the cross. I sat and let those final days and hours of Jesus' life wash over me. I'm seeking to let his final thoughts, emotions, actions be at the center of my thought life. It's in this process that the every day cares of this world seem to fade away. I can see a bigger picture. When I center myself on the cross, God's heart for the world becomes more evident in me.

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

"The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

"He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
Matthew 25:31-46