Traffic Jam - Exit Here

Attention, all! See the marvels of God! He plants flowers and trees all over the earth, Bans war from pole to pole, breaks all the weapons across his knee. “Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything.” (Psalm 46:10)

I know life gets hairy from time to time and the busy-ness of life just seems to consume us like a black hole, but when we take time to step out of the traffic for even a short while we could just be amazed at how much smoother the journey is when we have to step back into it! There is much to be said about taking time to rest and relax, but much more to be found in taking specific time in those times that is set aside specifically to spend a little time just meditating upon Jesus. There is more refreshing to be found in those times than any other - even when he may pinpoint a particular 'rough area' of your life that requires a little attention. 

Whenever we step out of the traffic long enough to just 'listen' and 'learn' we aren't going to 'get behind' in all the other stuff that has kept us so busy. I didn't believe this at first, but when I began to take time for Jesus as a priority in my life something amazing happened. I actually got MORE done than I imagined, sometimes leaving something 'undone' that I imagined was a priority for me, but really wasn't all that important in the long run. In the moments I spent with him, he helped give me clarity, showing me the things that really rose to the top of the list for the day. If we were each honest here, we probably had way too much on our 'list' anyway!

I like how God tells us to put politics aside when we 'step out of the traffic' - almost implying that our 'agendas' get us bogged down. Politics is really anything that we have a strong opinion or allegiance toward that is kind of directing our actions at that moment. When we say someone is 'politicking', we are acknowledging they have an agenda - putting themselves forward, promoting their ideas and agenda. If we go through life always caught up in our own 'politics' or the 'politicking' of another, we are always going to be caught up in the fray of the agenda put forward. When we step out of that traffic for a while, we can see clearly that some of our 'agenda items' are not always the right ones for us to be pursuing.

Take a long look at God - what does this entail? It is probably more than staring into the vast expanse of the sky and 'pondering' his greatness, although it may include times of enjoying the things he has created around us in nature. It is likely we may take a long look at him when we ponder the scriptures over and over again, beginning to see how each time we consider a particular passage we find something 'fresh' to our spirits from within it. It is also possible we take a look at him when we draw near to him in praise, worship, and surrender of our hearts. Taking a look is done with more than our eyes, my friends -  it is done with our entire being. Just sayin!