See what I have to say.
Let me know what you want to say about it.
A week or so ago our 16-year-old son walked in the door with his chest puffed out in frustration. His “Ugh!” reverberated through the house. It was around 10:00 pm. He had been to the youth group mid-week get together and Chick-fila with all his buddies. I knew he was stressed about the homework he still had to finish before his day was done.
“I would have been home 15 minutes ago if I hadn’t taken a short cut.” He leaned over the back of the couch and showed the map on his phone giving me the full rundown of his journey. Apparently, he had been moving right along until he was stuck behind trucks with oversized loads. To get around those obstacles, he turned down an unfamiliar road.
“The road was super sketch and ended up being a dead end. I had to go all the way back around.” Add in a “bruh,” some grunts, groans, and a few heavy sighs, and you have a literal audio version of how the conversation went.
His shortcut took twice as long.
The truth of his experience hit me hard. I looked at him. “Sometimes we’re like that with God, too, huh?”
His response was a teenage boy’s eye roll, side grin, and slang-ridden phrase that basically meant he saw the metaphor, too. How often do I attempt to short cut God? Often, this life journey is painfully slow, exhausting, and sometimes painful. Maybe it’s a relationship that experiences years of conflict. Or a promotion that never happens. Or a season of illness or financial stress. Or maybe it’s waiting for book deals, platform growth, or publishing success? When we are forced to sit back and attempt patience while watching others fly by in the fast lane, frustration builds. This frustration can make room for panic to set in. In that panic, we allow doubt to cloud our trust in God.
Maybe this isn’t the road God put me on? Maybe there’s a turn I missed? Surely it shouldn’t take this long?
When we look for an easier way or a way around the slow and waiting, it’s an indication we’ve stopped trusting in the One who placed us on our road.
Maybe this isn’t the road God put me on? Maybe there’s a turn I missed? Surely it shouldn’t take this long?
Thinking we know better, we veer off. We take the shortcut.
Occasionally the shortcut may work. But the irony is that the results of the quick and easy are often dead ends and longer travel times.
Attempting to move to the fast lane can also keep us from lessons God has for us right where we are. When we rush to our destination, we risk arriving before it’s ready. When writers circumvent God and rush the publication process, the audience that needs our voice may not even be there to hear it. We live in a word that moves faster each day. The fear of being left behind can be overwhelming.
But may I offer some encouragement?
Whether you’re in the fast lane, on a country road, stuck in a traffic jam, or going the speed limit, if you’ve been obedient, you’re exactly where God wants you to be.
While it may not be fun and impatience may eat at the edges of your emotions, know that you are on your road for a reason. And any other route? I promise it would be worse in the long run.
As we move into the last months of 2026, pray with me. Pray we refuse to take the shortcuts. Pray we say no to the dangling carrots in our hurry to arrive. Pray we trust our Jesus enough to know He has placed us on our individual journeys for His great purposes.
And now, I think I’ll turn my praise music up, roll my windows down, and settle in for His ride—no matter how long it takes.
Praising Him in the Slow Lane,
Heather Iseminger
Do you feel like you don’t matter? Are you happy … or are you doing what you never thought you’d do? Do you see consistencies … or are you all over the place? Drop me a line. I’d love to chat.
Struggling to find good in your life? Check out my award-winning book, God’s Best During Your Worst, or check out any of my other books on my Book page.
Thoughts come spilling out here, typos and all.
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