Nadine and I went on a date in South Scottsdale and decided that we would drive back on the main side roads versus the freeways as we were heading home. Scottsdale Road is a six lane road with stop lights every half mile. In the more congested places there are stop lights every block, so it can be slow going at times. The speed limit for the street was 45 mph so that was what I was doing as we headed north.

We were talking about life as I drove and I began to notice something as we were driving. When stopped at a stop light there were 10 to 15 cars around us obeying the traffic lights. When the light turned green, it seemed as if I was being left in the dust as all the cars were in fast motion and I was in slow motion. They most certainly beat me to the next light, but they had to stop for the red light and I was slowly approaching them as the light turned green and off they went. There are at least 20 street signals on the stretch from where we started to Shea Blvd. where we turned. At each light we would catch the cars, truck, and vans that started fast, but would have to stop at the next light and wait for it to turn green.

It seemed like they were all in a hurry to get somewhere, but were getting to their destination about the same time we were. They were in a “hurry up and wait” mindset. Hurry stunts the opportunity for God to speak to our lives and give direction to our steps. Dallas Willard said, “We must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. Hurry is the great enemy of spiritual life in our day.”

A good exercise to do if you are one of those drivers is to see whether or not you can get to your destination without using your brake or come to a stop. It means that you have to be intentional in looking forward to see what’s in front of you and drive accordingly. This kind of driving allows you to slow down and remove the stress that driving can cause when you see others in a hurry.

On this journey we have the opportunity to make decisions and choices that slow our daily routines down so that we can truly smell the flowers that come our way.