Driving

In September of 2002, Doug, Olivia, and I moved to Olive Branch, MS. Moving there meant doing something I'd never done before - it meant learning how to drive in Memphis! Keep in mind, we had just moved from Dalton, GA, and driving there left much to be desired. You didn't stop at a traffic light until it had been red for several seconds. You never stopped at a yellow light or you would get rear-ended. It was fast and furious, but people at least weren't usually rude abou t it! We also lived within decent driving distance from Atlanta, and I wouldn't drive there. It was just too fast for me. But, if you could change lanes at 90 miles an hour, then you were fine! People would even let you over - as long as you didn't slow down.

Memphis is different. Memphis is not only fast and furious, it's also rude. If you turn your blinker on to change lanes, whoever is behind the gap you're getting ready to enter will intentionally speed up to cut you off. If you want to drive in Memphis, you have to be aggressive. Defensive driving just doesn't work in Memphis. You have to drive on the offense!

Within about two months of living in Olive Branch, I was required to start driving regularly in Memphis in order to make it to Mother's Day Out where I would work for just over five and a half years. With five and a half plus years of practice, I guarantee you I learned to survive on the roads of Memphis! I learned to judge distances and gaps. I learned to slide into spots when needed. I learned to cross three lanes of traffic in under a mile to make my turn off of Poplar Ave after taking my exit off of I-240 - and to cross the three lanes of traffic to get back onto I-240! I learned how to drive fast enough to survive without being plowed over by the high-speed traffic. (Come on, Atlanta! Let's give it a whirl now!) I learned to be aggressive!

When we found out we were moving back to Arkansas - and to a rather rural niche of Arkansas at that - one of the things that delighted us the most was the idea of getting away from the rudeness of Memphis drivers. I cannot put into words the difference in the feel of driving in Monticello as opposed to the feel of driving in Memphis. Getting into a vehicle is not the most enormous stressor of the day anymore! The only difficulty has been breaking over eight years of bad driving habits established in our time in Dalton and Memphis.

This is where the "point" comes in. In order to break an old habit and establish a new one, you have to work at it. It has to be a conscious decision to practice. Well, I realized today that even after a month of living in Monticello, I am far from practiced in the driving habits of my new home! I wanted to go after lunch to the church with Doug to see something, so we loaded up the whole family and rode back to church with him. Then the kids and I drove home so I could let them nap with the plan that we'd go back this afternoon to pick Doug up. Since we only have the one vehicle now, Doug typically takes the van unless there's a situation where I'll need it. The truth is, I just haven't needed it! So, I haven't practiced driving. On the way home today I was preparing to make a left turn. I jumped out in a gap in traffic flow and proceeded to make my turn. In Memphis that would have been making my turn with plenty of space (although the drivers who ended up behind me would have rushed up on my tail just to make sure I knew they didn't appreciate me making my turn). But in Monticello, I have a feeling the driver of the next car felt that I was pulling out in front of him and cutting him off! I could have waited - it wouldn't have taken long. But, the habit is ingrained, and I "took my chance" to make the turn. I just need more practice, I guess.

How many times does God lead us to make changes in our spiritual life? If you're anything like me, it's pretty regularly, at least in those seasons when I'm striving to the best of my ability to heed any changes He desires to make in me. If He hasn't led me to make a change in a while, I know I need to stop and consider what the last thing was that He told me to do and figure out whether or not I've obeyed! But, back to the point. Each time God leads me to make a change, it's like breaking a habit. I have to practice the new habit regularly to make the change stick. If God leads me to a deeper level of worship and I only seek to enter that deeper attitude of worship once every now and then, I'm never going to make it a habit. I have to be consistent and regular, seeking to dwell in that deeper level of worship.

Just like with driving in Dalton, Memphis, Monticello, or anywhere else, spiritual habits take time and effort. They take a conscious dedication to learning the "rules" of the habit. They take a conscious effort to ingrain those actions into our lives. Only then can they become second nature, and only then will God lead us to the next change.