I remember when I graduated back in June, a friend from church asked me how I was feeling after completing the program. My answer was that I felt as though I was yielding and had approached a red light, and I’m waiting for it to turn green. When I said that I had no idea when I’d see that green light. I knew it wouldn’t be forever, but I didn’t want to wait too long. I didn’t want to dread when I’d be asked about work or what my next steps would be. I just wanted a smooth transition; I wanted things to fall into place so that I could finally do this whole “adulting” thing, and hopefully get it right. And just like an impatient driver, I was stuck at a red light, anticipating the light change, inching my way into the intersection of what I planned for me and what God planned for me. Sometimes the light seems longer than expected. The seconds move by eeeextra slow. And whether or not there’s traffic coming in the other direction, you just want the time to pass. If you drive and you’re stuck at a red light, be honest. You’ve probably picked up your phone and decided to see what else is going on in the world while you wait, right? That’s the same thing I did. I looked at other things that consumed time to create the illusion of possibly moving forward, but those things didn’t change the fact that I was at a red light.

When God tells us to wait, we have the choice of either focusing on Him or getting distracted due to our lack of patience. When you distract yourself, you lose sight of why you were waiting in the first place. You’re waiting for the moment where God says “Go,” right? That means that by following distractions, you are making the choice to go look for a path that doesn’t have your name on it. You might even start to veer off that way, but when you notice that that light turns green, you pedal to the metal in order to compensate for the time distracted.

But if you pay attention; if you focus on the light, at some point, it will turn green, and you can cruise through with ease, knowing that you’re ready to head in the right direction.

I’m excited to say that what seemed to be a longstanding red light has finally turned green for me. But I’m glad that despite the distractions, I gazed my eyes above the road ahead, just in time to see that light change. Part of me felt as though I’d been waiting so long that I didn’t know what to do when it was my time to move, but then I thought about Abram (aka Abraham).

Abram was given one of the biggest, brightest, fluorescent, green lights ever, and he wasn’t even waiting for it (Gen. 12:1-3)! God told him to get to stepping and not to look back for a second because what was on the other side of his every step was his promise from God. And you know what his response was? Obedience. Without a second thought, Abram responded in obedience to God, and those who were led by him followed in the same manner.

As you enter your green light season, know that your willingness to obey God will be observed by those who look to you, those who follow you and trust that you are living in alignment with God.

Remember that you probably weren’t the only one waiting for that light to change. There’s likely a few behind you, waiting to follow your lead. When God says go, remember that your decision to move is a sign of your trust, and your movement is obedience in action. If you’re at a red light, keep your eyes on Him, it’ll give you peace as you wait (Isaiah 26:3); if your light has turned green, know that your steps are ordered (Psalm 37:23), all you have to do is follow your Lead!