“Keep moving…change lanes later.” I had never seen these instructions posted on a traffic sign before.
My friends and I were enjoying a beach weekend together. We had spent the day enjoying the warm weather, some delicious seafood, and a little shopping. On our way back from our adventure we came across this road sign that said, “keep moving…change lanes later.”
Besides eating and shopping, our weekend also included a lot of conversation about the ups and downs of life. Together, we were encouraging each other about family, friendship, and faith.
When this sign popped into our weekend, it seemed to summarize the advice and encouragement that we were giving each other – “keep moving.”
Staying on the path of our life journey with God isn’t always easy. Many times, we want to dig in our heels and simply stay where we are. We don’t want to recognize that some things aren’t working anymore or that we have given all that we can to a relationship or a job.
Change is scary. It feels safer to plant ourselves down where we are and forgo what might lie ahead.
My favorite theologian and mystic, Richard Rohr, says that to go forward we must recognize that “there is always something that has to be let go of, moved beyond, given up, or forgiven.”
Keep moving. God calls us to get up each day and put one foot in front of the other… put one prayer in front of another… put one moment of silence in front of another. These acts of faith will fill our souls and awaken our spirits. They will energize us to move forward and then when the time is right, change will come.
Change lanes later. I believe that God works among us. Maybe we don’t always recognize it but I trust that God takes our acts of faith and moves us forward into paths of righteousness.
Change. That word often causes fear and push-back from us. Change is hard. Maybe change comes to us in the realization of who we are in the eyes of God – that we are God’s beloved and that God’s divine love is our essence.
Sudden movements on the road will often get us into trouble. We aren’t supposed to change lanes suddenly, without looking at the blind spots, and without giving a signal.
Life changes should also come thoughtfully with attention to the blind spots and hazards in the way. That’s where the spiritual practices of daily contemplation, prayer, and silence become our tools. They help us discern the voice of God and the gentle persuasion of the Spirit.
I have grown to appreciate the wisdom in this unique road sign. It offers some thoughtful advice for those of us who are unsure about the path ahead. It encourages us to know that change will come, maybe not right away, but in time God’s spirit will move.
“Keep moving…change lanes later.”
