Road works, temporary traffic lights, and a simple school run — yet in that ordinary moment, God showed me how easy it is to mistake what looks faster for what is actually right.
One morning, I was taking my son to school. On the way there, there were road works, so traffic was slower than usual. Nothing major, just one of those mornings where patience was required. As we got closer to the school, there was a parent driving ahead of me who had come from the same direction. They pulled in, dropped their child off, and as I left the school, I found myself behind them again. Normally, after leaving the school, they would turn right — the same way I would. But on that day, as we approached the exit, they turned left.
Now, I already knew that just ahead on the right was a temporary three-way traffic light because of the road works. And I knew that if I went that way, I would have to wait. So naturally, I considered following them.
It seemed easier. Faster. More convenient.For a moment, I was ready to turn left too.
But then I paused and thought:What if they’re not going where I’m going? What if I’m about to follow someone based on assumption, not direction?
So instead, I turned right.
Choosing the Way God Set Before Me
As expected, I got to the temporary traffic light and had to wait. It wasn’t long, just a few minutes.
But in that moment, it would have been easy to think: I could have avoided this.
Eventually, the light changed, and I continued my journey home. A little further on, the road reached a point where my two lanes met another two lanes coming from the opposite side.
And there, as the lanes came together, I saw the same car again — the one that had been ahead of me earlier. But this time, although they had gone a different way, I was now ahead of them.
What God Showed Me
In that moment, something became clear. What looked like the faster route was not actually faster. And what felt like a delay did not stop me from reaching where I needed to go.
God showed me that going in a direction He has not led you to, even when the road looks clear and everything seems to be moving well, is still not the right move. Because speed without divine direction can still take you the wrong way.
It immediately brought this scripture to mind: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” — Proverbs 14:12
And if I am honest, there have been times in my life where I followed what looked easier, only to realise later it was not God’s way.
Delays Are Not Denials
Sometimes the path God leads us on will require us to wait.
To pause.
To trust Him in moments that do not feel efficient or comfortable. But Scripture reminds us: “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” — Proverbs 16:9
“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” — Psalm 27:14
What feels like a delay to us is often alignment in God’s hands. Because God is not just concerned with where we arrive, but how we get there.
Not Every Path Is Yours to Follow
What stood out to me the most was this: If I had followed that car, I would have been making a move based on assumption, not instruction. I did not know where they were going. I only knew that their route looked easier in the moment. And yet, I almost followed.
How often do we do that in life?
We see others moving in a certain direction and assume that must be the better way. We follow what looks easier instead of seeking what God is saying.
But Scripture is clear: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” — Proverbs 3:5–6
God did not call us to follow people. He called us to follow Him.
Closing Thought
The presence of waiting does not mean you are on the wrong path. And the absence of obstacles does not mean you are on the right one. God’s way may require patience, but it always leads to purpose. So even when another path looks easier, smoother, or faster, stay where God has placed you. Because the goal is not just to arrive quickly. It is to arrive in alignment with Him.
Closing Prayer
Father, Thank You for reminding me that Your way is always right, even when it does not feel easy.
Help me not to be led by what I see, but by what You have spoken.
Teach me to trust You in the waiting and not to run toward what looks faster or more convenient.
Order my steps and keep me aligned with Your will.
Give me the discipline to follow You, even when I do not fully understand the path.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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