Missed Blessings

Being a country girl, freeway driving has never been something I’m comfortable with. Add in a little road construction or an accident, and my anxiety level jumps up a notch or two.

Recently, I found myself reduced to a crawl in bumper-to-bumper traffic in North Houston, Texas. Construction for a new overpass had reduced four lanes to two, and the resulting bottleneck was a nightmare.

A country girl drives “country” wherever she goes, so when I saw an 18-wheeler trying to merge, I slowed down and left enough space in front of my car for him to move in. But instead of easing over, he sped past several cars in front of me and forced his way between two other drivers. Horns blared. Drivers gestured wildly. Tires squealed. Inch by inch, he muscled that big rig forward, claiming the lane.

And you know what? He never realized I had already cleared a place for him to enter.

As I sat there, I couldn’t help but think—how many times have I done that very same thing with God? How many times has He been working quietly ahead of me, making a way, preparing an opening—and I’ve rushed ahead, trying to make things happen in my own strength? How many blessings have I missed because I didn’t slow down long enough to notice the space He had already cleared?

The Bible reminds us in Exodus 14:14 (NIV): The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.

Sometimes, God is already working on our behalf long before we realize it. He clears lanes we can’t yet see. He moves obstacles we haven’t yet reached. But if we insist on pushing through, we can miss the very blessings He’s trying to hand us.

So the next time life feels gridlocked and frustrating, take a breath. Look around. The opening you need might already be there—because your Father made it.