There have been times in my life when it seems things or people just get in the way of my agenda and I get so frustrated because I can't mark an item off my to do list. But then I see God allowed for things or people to get my way so that I would slow down. Sometimes it's to protect me. Sometimes it's to teach me a lesson. Sometimes it's to remind me that He is in control and that I should let go of my OCD and control freak tendencies and trust Him. And sometimes...it's all of the above.
Yesterday I went to lunch with a friend. We got back early so I decided to drop off my to-go cup of sweet tea and head to the bank and Hallmark. I know I could have just sat and relaxed those last 10 minutes of lunch but I had a to-do list. Anybody who really knows me, knows that I will not relax until my to do list is complete. So since time is a commodity, I had to mark those two items off. I got on the elevator on the 22nd floor. A guy got on at the 17th floor. We moved for a couple of seconds and then we stopped. And I mean stopped HARD. Hmmm, this isn't normal. I press the 13th floor button hoping to restart the elevator. No such luck. I buzz the guard to tell her we are stuck. We were stuck for 15 minutes. Good thing neither of us were claustrophobic. Apparently other elevators were being worked on and our car's control switch got tripped. They got the elevator going again. Unfortunately it felt like we were on a six flags ride for a few floors. Another hard stop and then a six flags ride again. (I'm all about saving money but I think I'd rather pay for a six flags ticket so I can choose which rides I get to ride.) When those doors opened on the ground floor, I flew out. I was super hot and my equilibrium was off. It took about 20 minutes for me not to feel wobbly. I've worked here for over 10 years and that was my first time to experience that.
I didn't want to run my errands anymore so I head back to my office. It wasn't until I got back to the office that I saw the bad weather coming. Strong storms look even more eery and frightening when you work on the 22nd floor. My coworker and I just stood and watched it for several minutes. We watch as the dark, angry clouds roll in bringing with it a mini dust storm and impressive lightening show. We can hear our windows creak and see them shake as the winds pick up speed and force. I'm thinking to myself that as powerful as this storm is my God has complete control over it. It was a comforting thought. It was later when I was sitting at my desk that another thought occurs to me. Had I not gotten stuck on that elevator I could have been returning from my errands and gotten caught outside during that storm. The inconvenience of being stuck in an elevator was actually a blessing in disguise. God was protecting me and I didn't even know it.
Because I often choose to complete my to-do list rather than sit and relax, I've been told to "stop and smell the roses", "enjoy the moment" or "with life, you need to focus on the journey not on the destination". That line of thinking sounds good. I just haven't learned how to apply it as well as others have. Apparently this is a lesson that I really need to learn because God has made/allowed me to enter many situations that make me stop, put the to do list down, relax and put my total trust in Him. After yesterday's incident and the realization that not only was God in control of everything but He also had my best interests at heart I couldn't help but think of Yosemite Sam on the horse hollering Whoa! Of course I'm the horse getting bopped on the head while God hollers "When I say Whoa! I mean Whoa!" Apparently I can be hard headed. I better learn this lesson soon because I can feel my head getting sore.
Image of Yosemite Sam - Whoa
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