Good grief! You’re going the wrong way! Who goes through a coffee drive-thru like that? Facing the offending driver, I glanced at my dashboard clock: 8:10 a.m. Ugh! I’d wanted to get to church early to practice my violin. Already ten minutes late, I zeroed in on the packed SUV, everyone awaiting their drink.
Are you from out of town? Have you never used a drive-thru window before? Not wanting to make eye contact, I looked down. 8:15! So, how many drinks have you ordered? I was so late!
At last cups appeared. Well, look at that! Large sizes of everything! Oh, great! And paying with a credit card. That’ll take another five minutes!
At 8:21 the SUV pulled away. Finally! The driver and his passengers waved while I looked straight ahead. I had no time for pleasantries. Pulling up to the window, I placed my order. The barista smiled and replied, “Guess what? The people in front of you felt badly for driving the wrong way and taking so much time. They paid for your drink!”
“They bought my iced mocha?”
“Yes! Pretty nice, huh?”
I looked back at the departing SUV. Shame rushed over me. I felt ridiculously petty. On a Sunday morning—on my way to church!—I’d spent eleven minutes berating an errant driver for misusing the drive-thru. I’d taken cheap shots at people who had just wanted to start their day with a favorite coffee drink. My offensiveness stung.
At church minutes later, I appeared the model of decorum, violin tucked under my chin, bow coaxing notes from the strings. With my iced mocha beside me, the music of hymns reverberated about the sanctuary. No one would have guessed that minutes earlier I’d been an unattractive example of impatience and self-centeredness.
How could I have been so intolerant and unkind? How had my personal life become so detached from my spiritual life? I had actually been the one traveling the wrong way, the one totally turned around. I’d shown a regrettable lack of faithfulness, not a disconnect from my belief in God, but a disconnect from my walk with Him.
Loving God with our whole heart, soul, and strength is challenging. I’ve been impatient and cross, short-sighted and self-centered. I’ve had moments that have gone awry and days that have fallen apart. Fortunately, we travel with a magnificent God who’s promised to be with us at all times—even when we’re stressed and fearful, even when we’re petty. We may struggle with faithfulness, but we travel with a God who’s forever faithful, not only when we’re traveling the right way, but also when we’re traveling the wrong way.
Especially when we’re traveling the wrong way.
