Miles

Miles

Road trips can be fun. Well, mostly fun.

Because all miles aren’t created equal.

The first couple of hours usually go pretty well. Coffee. Some great music. Conversation that hasn’t started repeating itself yet.

By the last 100 miles, you’re moving the seat around like there’s a secret setting nobody told you about. You’ve eaten gas station food you swore you wouldn’t eat. You have looked at the navigation an begged it to miraculously speed up.

And whoever said “getting there is half the fun” has never been on one of our family trips.

Same road. Same car. Different kind of miles.

It makes me think.

Sometimes I catch myself wondering why someone is having such a hard time with something that seems so simple.

I can see where they are today. But I have no idea how far they’ve already traveled to get there.

Maybe they’ve spent difficult months just making it to this particular Tuesday morning. Maybe they woke up tired before the day even started. Maybe they’ve been carrying something that no one also even knows.

Then one small thing goes wrong, and everybody wonders why they’re struggling.

I’ve probably been that everybody.

So maybe paying attention is important. Letting somebody talk longer than you had planned on. Taking something off their plate. Giving them a little room when their patience runs out before ours does.

Not fixing it. Not explaining why it shouldn’t be that hard.

Just remembering there may be a whole stretch behind them I never saw.

Before I tell somebody they ought to be able to handle the road ahead, I’d like to remember I wasn’t there for the miles behind them.

#FirstLight #Faith #Grace #Life

First Light
www.firstlightblog.org

A daily reflection on faith, leadership, and life. One honest thought each morning to help start grounded, focused, and full of grace before the world even wakes up.

By Nathan Clark