Pace Car

Have you ever spent a morning reading about the children of Israel and what ridiculous whiners and complainers they were, and almost rolling your eyes (or literally doing so) at them for being so petty and juvenile?

And then God sends you a situation where you respond the exact same way they did? But you don't realize it until you're waist deep (okay, fine, forehead deep) in griping?

This happened to me recently. We woke up to an unexpected snow storm: blowing wind, heavy snow, unplowed roads. My handsome hubby was driving behind SLOW people and refused to pass because he didn't know how soon our exit was coming up. We were going 30mph on 490W. When we passed the sign reminding us of our exit, it was still one mile away. And he still refused to pass them.

Good times.

I spent at least five minutes during that trip giving my husband verbal advice (he is Deaf and can't hear me), saying things like “If I were driving…”, literally shifting around in my seat in frustration (alternately looking out the side window, and then glaring at the people in front of us, and then glaring at my husband) like a toddler who didn’t get my way, and complaining about the people in front of us and how he should just pass them already because I was pretty sure I could walk faster than we were driving. I may or may not have mentioned my grandmother as well, and her driving or walking abilities. Sorry, Nan.

Finally our exit was in sight- yes!!!

And then the slow person got off on our exit.

I thought I would die. I threw myself back in my seat and cried out "God PLEASE don't let them turn left!"

And in that moment the Lord reminded me of what I'd read just that morning and how disgusted I was with the children of Israel and all their petty complaining, wishing they’d been left back in Egypt, wishing they had died in the plague the Lord sent, etc.

Oof. I am a mess.

I believe there are times in our lives when God sends us a spiritual pace car.

In motorsport, a pace car is a car which limits the speed of competing cars on a racetrack in the case of a caution period such as an obstruction on the track or bad weather. At the end of the caution period, the safety car leaves the track and the competitors resume normal racing.

In our lives, it could literally be a car in front of us that is keeping us from speeding and getting a ticket, but most of the time (at least for me) it comes in the form of a person or experience that forces me to slow down.

And I usually hate it.

I keep a schedule and try not to waste time. So when I get a spiritual pace car that changes my plans, I sometimes rebel. It feels like wasted time to explain things over and over, or clean up dog poop right before leaving the house, or stand patiently while someone spends 25 minutes at church in the lobby talking about themselves when I could be doing…I don’t know what, but not that.

When I realize that God has a reason for the pace car, I do a way better job of just following it. Maybe there’s a hazard up ahead that I don’t know about. I would do well instead of charging ahead, to take stock and see why God has slowed me down.

Or maybe I’m just filling my schedule too full of things, and I no longer have the time I should to dedicate myself to prayer and being with the Lord, or truly minister to other people on a soul level, and not just tossing money in the plate at church.

The truth is, I need pace cars. I need those people and situations that slow me down, that cause me to reflect, to pray more, to put myself and my desires aside, and follow the plan God has laid out for me rather than my own. If we are to truly be ministers to one another, we need to meet people where they are, be patient with their needs, and not try to hurry them along for the sake of self.

And you know what?

Sometimes I’m someone else’s pace car. And so are you. You just might not know it. If the person is filled with the fruit of the Spirit, you will never know it. And that’s okay.

By the time we arrived at our destination that day, the Lord had completely changed my heart. I had a good time of repentance for my attitude, and I thanked my husband for driving so carefully and getting us there safely. The Lord loves me, and pace cars are a sign of His love, just like my husband loves me and his safe driving is a sign of his love for me, too.

Romans 12:9-15
(9) Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
(10) Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
(11) Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
(12) Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.
(13) Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
(14) Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
(15) Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

Ecclesiastes 7:8-9
(8) Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
(9) Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.