Lake Tahoe, Banquets, and Driving Habits

It has been about two and a half hours since Shelley and I returned from our week-long vacation at Lake Tahoe. It's such a beautiful place, and amidst driving around the lake, hiking, walking the beach, eating out, shopping, and other adventures, it was a much-needed break from the day-to-day.

Do you ever get an opportunity to slow down and relax, only to find your thoughts overflowing and your body fidgeting? Life moves pretty fast for most of us, and finding time to recharge the batteries is difficult enough as it is; what happens when you do so, only to find that you are still going at full speed even in your down time?

I found that it took a day-by-day effort to enjoy the vacation for what it was, and that included taking the time to think and talk through fears and frustrations I never saw in the busyness of life. With time, relaxing became not only possible, but enjoyable, but it was initially unsettling to sit on the couch at our cabin, take a deep breath, and discover just how much the grind had worn me down.

One turning point during the week occurred when Shelley and I watched our church's sermon from last Sunday on our laptop. It had to do with the excuses we make to avoid living a life for and with God. In the Parable of the Great Banquet in the book of Luke, Jesus explains to his Pharisee hosts and contemporaries about a master who arranged a great banquet, only to find that the ones he initially invited excused themselves, using such things as real estate, livestock, and marriage as reasons to skip out. Undeterred, the master literally invites everyone else, on the street, in hard-to-reach places, of poor finance or social stature.

You might read this as familiar territory and think, "Yeah, the point is to not be complacent." Or this story might be new to you. Either way, I listened to it knowing full well that God is the master of the parable, and that while many of us think we're on the guest list, it is certain that someone we know will not be in the banquet that is Heaven.

I'd rather not have us all wait for a "lightning from the sky" moment for us to get what God freely offers. We'd rather do everything ourselves...my vacation was partly a recovery period from burnout, brought on my acute DoItMyself-itis.

So, yes, slowing down is incredibly important. This is what we often hear, but seldom practice. It's not that we're dumb, or go out of our way to be stubborn; usually we seem to have a better option than God when it comes to handling the very real needs and worries we have.

Why pray to God when we can pore over monster.com for job opportunities?
Why go to church when we can sleep in from a Saturday in which we felt entitled to fun after a stressful week?
Why read the Bible when we can read the news instead, wanting to sound knowledgeable to those we converse with?
Why seek love from God when we can hit up the Internet, nightclubs, parties, and social gatherings for our One True Love?

Or most dangerously, why make time for faith when every other aspect of our lives is spoken for and divvied up by specific increments of time?

The drive back from Lake Tahoe illustrated this tug-of-war over embracing God's way or going it alone. As I drove our Chevy Cavalier - which is the spunkiest, 4-cylinder, 5-speed manual you'll ever see - through mountain ranges, it was apparent that some vehicles easily navigated the steep climbs of the road, while others (like us) could only go slow and steady. At times, I found myself part of a 4 or 5 car group that stayed in formation, even while the one-lane road expanded to two and other cars hurriedly passed us as if in some epic, secret race they were participating in.

I do believe that life is a race, but it is not a race of getting from point to point in the shortest amount of time, often at the expense of others we pass or cut off on the way. Instead, life is a marathon, where you often run alongside certain groups at different stages, run at your own pace, and push yourself along your own goals.

As I drove through the mountains, I found that some cars tailgated the car in the rear of our group, impatient for a passing lane to appear so they could buzz past those who had the gall to merely go the speed limit. Often, they would be in such a hurry to pass us that they would not see that passing lane end, forcing them to become stuck in our group by merging at the last minute.

Sometimes we are happy with our own pace, but feeling cut off or slowed down by others can still get us frustrated. The question of the day is this: do you measure your life and progress by how fast you go, how many cars and people you pass, and how quickly you can get to your goal? Or do you go at a comfortable pace, enjoy the accompany of others for awhile as they come and go, and appreciate the journey in such a way that leaves you satisfied when the destination is reached?

I fear that some I know and love will pass me by, so worried by making good time that they miss the only finish line that counts. Even more, I fear that it is me hastily passing you, my hurry becoming an inconvenience and even a danger.

If this sounds presumptuous to you, like God is the only right path and whatever you're doing is wrong, I urge you to try both paths and decide for yourself. The role of faith is one that every human being has to answer for him/herself. It's too big of an issue to sit on the sidelines.

Personally, after 17 years without God and 11 years with Him, I will gladly take the 11 years. Why? Because when God directs your path, you're actually able to enjoy the ride - and the view.

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