Looking For Red Lights

Generally, as we drive, we are hoping for green lights.  I have a 30 minute drive to work and would love to sail through all of the lights without stopping.  (There are between 20 and 24 traffic signals depending on the location and route I take.)  I can frequently see two lights, the one I am approaching and the next one down the road. I had found myself looking at these distant lights and getting excited when they are green, only to be frustrated when they turn red before I arrive. This practice is neither productive nor encouraging.
I have found that looking to the far light and seeing red is much better than seeing all green.  By the time I reach a light that was red when I first spotted it, it has usually turned green or is very close to doing so.  I have also found that the lights and cars close up and in my direct path are so much more important to be watching. I cannot respond to what I see in the distance, but I must respond to what I see directly in front of me.
So often in life, we look ahead and all we can see are the barriers to our dreams for the future.  We forget about the fact that we have not arrived there yet.  We are so busy looking out ahead that we don’t even see the step we are currently making. We don’t celebrate how far we have come or how we are progressing at the current time.  We don’t see life’s “green light” that we barely had to slow down for. 
So what is actually taking place at that distant intersection where the light is red?  Obstacles are moving out of my way.  The cross traffic is currently moving beyond my path.  In reality the way is being prepared for me.  When I drive through that intersection, whether after waiting or because it was already green, it will be free of traffic.  It will be prepared for me.  It will be safe.
The same things are happening in life. God is already orchestrating my future. He is preparing hearts and situations. Obstacles are being moved that would prevent me from achieving my goals. He is also preparing me so that when I reach that junction, I can pass through safely.
Jesus speaks about not worrying about tomorrow.  ^”So do not worry or be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will have worries and anxieties of its own. Sufficient for each day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34 AM P)   In traffic this could be paraphrased to say, “Don’t worry about the future lights, this current light is the only one that matters. Keep your focus right in front of you. You can deal with the next light, whether red or green, when you get there.”  In day to day life this verse simply states, “Forget about the future.  Look what God is doing, right now, right in front of you.  The future will be ready when you arrive.”
Hoping for red lights seems a bit strange, both in traffic and in life’s dreams. My physical destination, whether the parking lot at work or my driveway at home, is beyond my line of sight. There are many traffic lights in its path.  Some I will sail through.  For others I will have to stop.  My spiritual destination is also out of my line of sight with many obstacles along the way.  I have found that I enjoy both my ride to work and my daily walk with God so much more when I look to the current, close up path and let the distance say stop for now.  

So get on the road. Allow yourself plenty of time and let the distant lights be red.  They will turn green.  Above all, enjoy your ride! God is not waiting for you at your destination, He with you all along the way.