Traffic Circles or Round Abouts as they are also known, are meant to improve the flow of traffic. Knowing this doesn’t keep me from sometimes finding them quite intimidating. As you enter the circle, you yield to people on your left. If they are exiting the circle at the spot you are entering, you’re fine to go. It’s when they are heading around it and changing lanes that things become tricky. The ones with 3 lanes can get a little crazy. I need to not only consider where I am going, but also figure out where the others are going.
The plus side to this is that if I am uncertain as to my exit, I can just keep travelling around in a circle until I decide which route I want to take and am able to plan my moves safely.
Sometimes I feel that I am living my life as if I’m caught in a traffic circle. I go around and around the same things, uncertain as to which route to take. When I finally make a decision, I need to evaluate the timing. Is it safe to make that move now, or should I go around one more time, just to be sure? Staying in the circle may seem safe, but it is also frustrating. How can I move forward into a more purposeful life if I’m afraid to leave the safety of my familiar circle?
On my own, decisions like this can paralyse me. When I pray and put my life in the hands of Jesus, I know that he will guide me safely along the route he has chosen for me. It’s time to quit going around in circles and embrace the adventure that a life of following Jesus will bring.
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 NIV