4 way stops and green lights

I came to a four way stop this morning and then sat there for an inordinate amount of time, my subconscious waiting for a green light to tell me it was okay to go. I go to this intersection at least once a day. I'm not sure if it was the car behind me that gave a honk, or I just finally woke up to the fact that there would never be a green light, but the busy intersection in my brain cleared and I moved on.

The part of my brain that controls how I drive was on auto-pilot. Instead of focusing on what was happening around me, I was sorting through my to-do list: walk, clean the kitchen, pay the bills, prepare for church meeting, check emails, finish up 2 web sites, start 1 website, edit the church videos, create graphics for Sunday's sermon, start laundry, email a college admissions counselor for Holly, pick up Randy's laundry, take Maddie to school.

Is our walk with God ever like this? We assume because we faithfully go to church every Sunday, and the bible sits prominently on our nightstand, that we can put our relationship with God on autopilot, as we focus on a million other things. Do we ever sit with God, our mind going full blast on other things, waiting for the green light to pull us out of our fog? The green light won't come at the stop sign, but other things will. Trials in our life are like honking horns, that clear that busy intersection, so that we can move on and redirect our focus. The honking horn reminded me that I can't drive on auto-pilot. Trials remind me that I must focus on my relationship with God and His calling for my life.