Traffic Lights
In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. - Proverbs 3:6
Today’s devotion holds a special place in my heart because it was one of the very first devotions I ever crafted. I wrote this when I was 19-years-old, after I had sat through way too many traffic lights on my way home from one of my college classes. The analogy has stuck with me over the years, so I figured I would share this devotion with you in hopes that from now on, when you see a traffic light, you’ll be reminded of the picture it paints of God’s guidance and direction in our lives.
We all know that traffic lights can be one of the most frustrating parts of being on the road. But at the same time, we can also agree that traffic lights are put into place for our protection and to give us guidance and signals on how to move forward. In a lot of ways, God works the same way as we follow Him. He guides us by leading us forward or telling us to slow down and wait.
If we are supposed to proceed forward with something new in our lives, like a job or a relationship, the Lord gives us the green light to go ahead. Most of the time, though, this green light comes with some waiting. As drivers, we all know how seldom it happens where we breeze through a green light without having to stop. The same thing happens most of the time in life. We have to wait for God to show us when it’s safe to go forward before we continue through one of life’s intersections.
Other times, when we come close to a dangerous situation, God gives us the yellow light, telling us to slow down and prepare to stop. While most of us get frustrated at first when we get caught by a yellow light and have to slow down, we should probably be thanking God for the yellow lights in our lives. We should be grateful that He gives us these “warnings” before we put ourselves into a dangerous situation.
Then there are the red lights. These are the signals we get when there is potential for a dangerous or harmful situation if we do not stop. Most of the time we get very impatient when we get stopped at a red light because we are in a hurry to get where we’re going. We think we know when it’s safe to go ahead, but that’s not always the case. On the other hand, God ALWAYS knows when it’s the right time for us to proceed through a certain crossroads in our lives. Therefore it is best for us to listen for Him to tell us when to go.
Now, if you have ever driven a car through an intersection before, you know how important traffic lights are. You know that traffic lights do you no good if you don’t drive according to the signals they give, and much damage and pain can be caused if people do not obey the traffic lights. The same goes with God. If you do not obey Him as He gives you signs and signals as you walk through life, then you are susceptible to a lot of danger and hurt. But if you look to Him for direction every time you come to an intersection in your life, He will be sure to give the correct signal and send you on when He knows you’re ready.