Are You on the Wrong Train?

One late afternoon, I left work early to board the Metro Subway in search of the Department of Motor Vehicles on the lower end of Maryland. I had been a new resident all of six weeks and was informed by the management of the apartment complex where I lived that I was required to have  Maryland license plates and a Maryland driver’s license or risk having my car towed.

I made my way to the platform of the Metro Subway and waited for the Orange Line to pull up. It was the one I rode everyday to get to the Smithsonian Institution where I worked. I boarded it, and after listening to the operator announce the calls of what was next, I realized that I was going the wrong direction. The train was going north and I was supposed to be going south.

I got off at the next stop and headed back to where I began. When I arrived, all the other workers in DC, Virginia and Maryland also arrived. So much for leaving work early. It was crowded. Trains were full, people poured out like maple syrup and I needed to cross over to the other side of the platform to get on the right train. I did - only to miss the first one that came. I looked up and the sign indicated that the next train was coming in seven minutes. It was the Red Line and I learned that it would take me to the very place that I was trying to reach. As I rode the train, daylight began to grow into dusk. The fall season in Maryland adheres to the time change and night comes quickly. I arrived at my stop, walked two blocks to the DMV and saw the “closed sign” on the door. It was 6:05 p.m. I was tired and frustrated. It was a wasted trip.

As it turns out, I never went back to the DMV and my car was never towed. I made a trip and headed to a place based on a “mandate” given to me by someone else, yet was still able to move through the city with the license and tags that I had from Texas. In fact, I kept them the duration of the time that I worked in Washington, DC and never once was stopped by anyone, ticketed or given a citation.

God recently brought that back to my memory as I have pondered and discerned where I am in my career. I know am in the right “subway terminal” but somehow I feel like I am on the wrong platform, on the wrong line, and need to cross over to get to the right train. Sometimes we think we are headed in the right direction based on simply being in the “subway terminal” of where God is calling us, but trying to navigate your way through the different routes of your call can easily have you on the wrong line. And in the process, it can be expensive (I went through two zones and used up what was on my Metro card) and time-consuming.

Maybe God is telling you to move around the platform and get on the Red Line because the Orange Line is taking you on a different route than what’s necessary for where God wants you to be. And maybe the very thing that is being “mandated” is not even necessary for you to continue in what God has called you to do! Are you on the wrong train? Is it time to go in a different direction? Seek God for clarity.

Spiritual Temper Tantrums

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not harm you; plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Recently, I saw a little boy tugging at his mother’s coat and pointing at a small toy that was near the check-out stand. She ignored him for a while until she finally looked down to see what he wanted. He looked up at her and in that small little voice with his eyes transfixed on the toy, he said: I want that. His mother glanced at it and told him no, explaining that he wasn’t getting it today.

The little boy let out a booming cry that rivaled a wolf’s howling. I mean he cried. His face was now red and tears had taken over. He wiggled around in frustration and cried even more. It’s a temper tantrum that most of us are familiar with either from our own childhood or from handling our own child’s tantrums.

And at the root of it is this sense of wanting something – right then and there – and instead being told no. It’s like something erupts in our minds and this sea of emotions begins to overflow causing us to work ourselves into a tirade of anger, disappointment, frustration and sadness. Our whole countenance changes.

The same true is in our spiritual lives. We pray for something and want God to answer it right then. More than that, we want God’s approval and affirming yes to our desires, plans, ideas, etc. Sometimes God answers right away with a yes if it aligns with his plan and purpose for our lives. Other times, God gives a resounding no because it’s not what he wants for us. And then there is the not yet– you’re not getting it today.

God designed us and knows all about us. He knows our strengths, weaknesses, and those areas that he still has to prune. We’re not ready yet. For a number of reasons, this is true. We haven’t had the right experience to deal with what’s ahead. We wobble in our faith, trusting God some days and doubting him on other days. We haven’t overcome certain fears that will surely cause us to not enjoy the very thing that we are asking him for. So no – you’re not getting it today.

On this spiritual walk, there will be moments when you are absolutely fed up, frustrated and crying, throwing temper tantrums at God. It’s a part of your spiritual maturity. We learn that this faith walk isn’t about having our way. It’s about God having his way in all areas of our lives. It’s about being in deeper relationship with God and trusting him whole-heartedly, believing deep within our heart and soul that he has our best interest in mind.  

Sometimes when we look back on those temper tantrums, upset at what God didn’t do, we can see now how glad we are that he made that decision. Glad that he protected us from an unhealthy relationship, an expensive purchase that we really couldn’t afford , or a position in a company that went through major layoffs  three months later.

The more you are actively engaged in this faith walk, the healthier you become spiritually. You might still have a spiritual temper tantrum every now and again, but you will grow through it knowing that God is transforming you to accomplish his plans and purpose for your life.