Live in Your Own Lane

Let me start with a story.

Several years ago I was driving from Alabama to Texas with a friend. The drive was long, slow, somewhat boring and definitely uncomfortable. After driving through miles of Texas flatland, we began to make our way into the Dallas metroplex. We’d been in the car for eleven hours with little sleep and way too much caffeine. We were near hysterics acting like idiots. I was driving with the cruise control on sitting indian style paying attention to my friend rather than road. Ridiculous, I know. 

And you know where this is going…

All of the sudden, everyone began slamming on their brakes. As the road went from two lanes to one, I was struggling to get my foot out of my lap and on the brake. Before we hit the car in front of us, my friend jerked the wheel. With my foot finally in the right place, we skidded through some cones and came to a halt right in front of road workers. 

My bumper came loose, but that was the extent of what could’ve been a horrible story. 

I recently heard a phrase that reminded me of this story: live in your lane. 

That day I wasn’t living in my lane. I wasn’t driving the right speed, paying attention to my surroundings, watching for detours or obeying the law. I was only trying to get to my destination. 

That story could’ve had a different ending. I could’ve hit someone, hurt someone or even killed someone. 

Often times we’re only concerned about our destination and not living in our lane. 

We want to be more, do more, have more. We don’t like the long, slow, somewhat boring, uncomfortable pace of our lane. We see people ahead of us and think we’re behind. We see people behind us and feel puffed up with pride, as if we’re ahead. 

We spend money we don’t have, share pictures and stories that portray a false reality and constantly question our calling and purpose, because it’s not happening now. We become reckless, exhausted and overwhelmed trying to get somewhere and become something that we ultimately will anyways. 

I’ve tried living outside of my lane, so I know. Honestly, it’s just stressful. Trying to make things happen in your own time, living on more than your current dime, striving to get to a future destination today—it’s not worth it.

Right now, I just want to live in my lane and do it well. I want to enjoy my seemingly slow-paced life of raising kids and being a wife who doesn’t work. I want to steward my middle-class income, giving what I can and recognizing that I’m tremendously blessed. I want to teach, administrate, travel and write when I can, but be content with the reality that that may be a future destination. 

I’ve found it takes more courage to be content and live in my lane than it does to pursue change, opportunity and advancement. I’ve also found happiness, peace and glory overwhelm my life when I stay in my lane.

Check yourself. 

Are you living in your lane or driving with your legs in your lap trying to get somewhere to fast to soon?

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