~ by Fr. Jack Bentz, SJ

I figure if the sign says 70 miles per hour I can set my cruise control at 79. 79 is the exact spot where I can break the law and still not be pulled over by the police. 81? Too fast. 70? Way too slow. But not any more. I have become a new man, a law abiding man, and I have found God in the slow lane, all the way over to the right. This indeed is the frontier for me and I have a couple of things to report back to my companions in the faster lanes.

Yes, I was able to enjoy the scenery. And since I was going so slow anyway, I finally pulled over and explored downtown Napavine between Seattle and Portland. Ever been there? Thought not. I was in a better lane to pick up hitchhikers, this time an out of work ‘carnie’. Because of a lane change I was able to practice appreciation (scenery), presence (Napavine), and hospitality (hitchhikers). Good stuff, but there is more.

As I was being passed by almost everyone on the road, I was in a new position to ask – Where’s the fire? Where are all these people headed with coffee in one hand and a half written text message in the other? Was I one of them? Where was I going in such a rush? Was my life better if I got to Portland fifteen minutes earlier? I, of course, quickly moved from wonder to a sense of superiority. Now that the scales had fallen from my eyes I was in a position to judge. Funny how that works. And so fast.

While I got to the moment of judgment rather quickly it took me longer to adjust to being law abiding. The simple act of trying to drive the legal speed had the effect of challenging my inner anarchist, my inner free spirit, my inner – way inner – red-blooded going-rogue American spirit. I don’t like being told what to do and here I was choosing to accept the rules of the road, rules that could easily be broken with little consequence. Why was I bothering to drive the speed limit?

Religious life is filled with the moment of choosing to be obedient to a structure that helps us become more fully alive. We live under vows that shape how we love, how we spend money, and who tells us what to do. When we take vows of chastity, poverty and obedience, we volunteer to drive in the slow lane, to accept the wisdom of the posted speed. Does it chaff sometimes? Does it challenge our often silly and superficial fantasies of being completely self dependent free spirits? Yes. And it is totally worth it. Voluntarily chosen limits allow us to grow and mature in ways beyond our imaginings. Counterintuitive as it sounds it seems to work.

So perhaps I will see you out there on the road. I will be the one you might be passing. I will be going the speed limit; reading the election signs, getting better gas mileage, learning to enjoy getting passed, talking to a hitchhiker and learning to accept the rules outside of myself. I know God is here in the slow lane and I want to go slow enough for God to find me.