I Uber-ed to the airport to head home after speaking at a leadership event. The ride would take a while, but I knew it was mostly interstate. I’d had great Uber experiences on the trip so far, but this one was challenging.
I tried to read, but I soon felt a bit queasy. That’s unusual for me. I decided to look out a window for a bit, and it didn’t take long to figure out the cause of my queasiness. It was almost imperceptible while I was distracted with reading, but I noticed my driver had a pattern. He’d accelerate for about ten seconds then ease his foot off the pedal and coast for about ten seconds. There was no jerking or slamming on the brakes. We consistently kept the speed within a few miles per hour, but the accelerate-and-coast pattern was unsettling.
Why not just maintain consistent pressure on the pedal? That’s not possible with the stop and go of in-town driving, but on the interstate, especially when it’s not congested, it’s fairly easy. And very few cars don’t have a cruise option.
But I wasn’t going to micro-manage my driver’s style. He was a good driver otherwise. We all have quirks.
I began to wonder how each of us can get into an accelerate-and-coast pattern. We can’t quite settle in. Again, there are times that don’t allow a consistent speed, because we need to start and stop. There are busy seasons – some within our control and some outside of it. But we all have brief seasons in which we can be consistent (at whatever speed that is). We can expend much unnecessary energy with the accelerate-and-coast pattern and cause queasiness to ourselves and others.
Either way, we get to the same place. Either way, we’re moving forward. Either way, we’re making progress.
But if we can get somewhere and feel a little bit better along the journey and in the end, shouldn’t we choose that?
I arrived at the airport with no problem, and I’m thankful for the journey that involved queasiness, because it reminded me to apply the pedal pressure consistently as I continue to grow. I’m not as consistent as I want to be, but I’m thankful for the reminders that I can always improve.
Consider how you can improve today. Where is God coaxing you to be more consistent as you move forward?
Pure Purpose 