Traffic Jam Truths

I am not sure how you guys handle traffic jams but admittedly I don’t always fare so well.

My kid’s school is an easy 10 minutes drive but with rush hour traffic in the mornings it can take up to 45 minutes by which time the easy drive turns tumultuous.

Fortunately the morning person of the family (Rich) fights the traffic everyday to get the kids to school on time; meanwhile I saunter out of bed and watch Bobie (Barney) with Tori while drinking a good cup of java.

The past three weeks while Rich was away my saunter turned to reckless haste trying to get the kid’s up, fed, dressed and in the car with all their appropriate school belongings, by 6:45 a.m.

I decided my dread would only make my kid’s mornings miserable so I needed to make the best of it. My ‘best of it’ attempts included blaring my music, serenading my captured audience, playing tic-tac-toe…hey if I can put my make-up on while driving TTT is a breeze, and various other multi-task activities while driving 10 miles per hour. After two days of the kid’s pleas for me to stop singing (they just don’t appreciate good talent) I found a book on CD someone recently gave me that I was interested in listening to. Although very good material and I say this in the most humble manner it was a lot of ‘elementary teaching’. Not that I have arrived or don’t need this info…it is great stuff it just made me evaluate if 4 more CD’s of this was the best investment of time.

Much to my children’s dismay my singing debut resumed when Skyler finally asked “Mom, are there any more of those messages we heard the other day?” I shared that we only listened to 1 of the 5 CD series. She asked, “Can we listen to the other ones?” With a quizzical look, I drilled her on what she heard and she repeated the different concepts and even some of the stories featured on CD #1….I did not even think she was listening. So our listening resumed.

Today, we completed CD #5 and I now realize it was a fabulous investment of not only my time but my children's! I found myself shouting ‘amen’, ‘that’s it’ and ‘so good’ throughout our listening journey. Best of all Skyler sponged up every word! One morning Blake’s antics were drowning out the author's voice when Skyler reprimanded him with “Blake would you please be quiet I am trying to listen and you should be too; this is good stuff.” The thought of her “getting” these foundational truths and life principles at age 7 is a very happy one!

A couple years ago I happened upon the scripture… “My children are taught of the Lord and great is their peace and undisturbed composure” and I’ve prayed it over them ever since. Today, I thought about the things that teach my children of the Lord. It isn’t just what I share with them during our devotional times or what I model to them throughout the day (which frankly keeps me awake at night agonizing over my poor example). What are they hearing that I am listening to? What are they seeing that I am watching? Who is affecting them that I am hanging around? Are these things/my choices giving them an accurate picture of who He is? Do they produce peace and an undisturbed composure? Some rhetorical questions I felt healthy to ponder! When I flippantly put that first CD in the player I never imagined the effect it might have on the two little ones sitting in the backseat.

My intent is not to be preachy or sound super spiritual as fact is I am a far cry from either. Just sharing some random thoughts of truth revealed while sitting in traffic!