Did you know that you can’t or
don’t drive aggressively if you are praying for the person in the vehicle ahead
of you? Most people know that I have a rather heavy foot and like to get from
point A to point B quickly and efficiently. But my morning commute is neither quick
nor efficient.
A year ago, I moved to Dartmouth,
and since I still work in Halifax, this involves a daily commute over one of
the bridges. The distance as the crow flies is only 11 kilometers, unfortunately,
I am not a crow. After 4 years of living only 2 kilometres away from my church
and an additional four years before that of working from home, the daily
commute aggravated me each day.
At first glance, praying while
driving may seem like another form of multi-tasking, just one more way to get a
task done while doing something else. But that depends on your approach. For me
it’s being mindful and noticing my surroundings and I simply pray for the
person or people in the car directly in front of me. I hold them in the light
of God's love and visualize positive energy surrounding them. I pray that whatever
that person may need will come to them. It may be just for a few seconds, or it
may be for my entire commute. One morning, I followed a blue car onto the highway
and it stayed directly in front of me until the exit off the bridge, where I went
one way and it went another. I felt a curious loss of intimacy as our path
diverged.
The picture above is
similar to what I see on my morning commute, lines of red taillights, keeping
me from getting to my appointed tasks! I took this one on my day off; my
husband was driving. What do you see? It’s certainly not nearly as lovely as
the other pictures I have posted, you may have to look closer or with different
eyes to see the sacred beauty displayed. What do I see? I see God's people, of
various kinds, going to work or school or hospital. I see God's people, in the
midst of concentric and overlapping circles of connection and responsibility. My
prayers slow me down, my prayers let me arrive at my destination calm and ready
to be present to whatever my day brings, my prayers enable me to tap into the
divine spirit that lies within all of us. Do they make a difference to anyone
along my route? Who knows? They make a difference to me and the people I meet
that day.
And so this week, my window on God's
world, is the windshield.
Thanks!
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