Peruvian Traffic
The traffic in Lima, Peru, is horrendously congested yet tremendously fun to travel. At least, when I’m not the driver. You see, I supremely enjoy the talent of the one who was driving. The responsibility of pulling through tight places, making impossible turns, and weaving through traffic is of no concern to me because I am trusting the driver’s experience. After awhile, it didn’t matter how fast we are going or how close outside objects came to the bus. I completely trusted the driver.
Many times, we trust people around us in such a way that we believe they will never make mistakes. We have high expectations about them, and we enjoy being with them as long as things run smoothly.
One evening, while I was traveling in a bus in the middle of many lanes of traffic, I felt a horrendous jerk. The bus came to an abrupt halt. In attempting to change lanes, the bus had bumped into a tiny car that was trying to pass us at the same time. Of course, there was no damage to the bus and I’m not too sure what happened to the little car, but thankfully, after a few minutes, we continued on as if nothing happened. Though I was not physically affected, this incident certainly changed my outlook on how we were driving. I suddenly became tense when we started changes lanes, and I tended to keep a much sharper look out the window at curbs and passing objects. Before, I thought we were invincible. Now, I realized that really, anything could happen.
Because everyone has been born into sin, people will never perfectly meet the expectations we place upon them. No matter how skilled or how friendly someone is, there will be times when they fall short. To prevent succumbing to anger or bitterness when “accidents” do happen, it is wise to surrender all expectations we might have toward other people completely to God. Instead, put your trust entirely in the Lord, for in him only will I find stability and salvation. He is my defense; I shall not be moved or disappointed in Him. (Psalm 62:5.)
Nice, James! How did you make the moving traffic so crisp and sharp despite the low light conditions which would have required a slower shutter speed?
The traffic is sharp because they are stopped! They were waiting for a traffic light, so I could afford to use a slightly slower shutterspeed without there being any problem with subject movement.
Thank you for the encouraging analogy. I was just reading a book that mentions expectations quite frequently – only they are high expectations that we must hold, by God’s grace, for our own lives (not those around us!). Without that, we will fall into a life of slothfulness, complacency, and self-satisfaction. May our sights be set ever higher as we seek to do challenging, difficult things for God’s glory!
P.S. The link from StaddonFamily.com was fantastic! You are so accomodating!
Yes, that is a good reminder. There aren’t any accidents with God and the things He allows are often simply to remind us that are expectations (for ourselves and others) should come from Him–Psalm 62:5.