Living in the "city"

We are actually in a suburb of Melbourne. Do many people actually live in the CBD?

So one thing that many people mentioned before we moved up here was the traffic.

They would say "how can you move up there with all that traffic?"
or
"I could never move up there, there is too much traffic!"
or
"I can't handle traffic, I get too upset."

Well I am one of those people that gets agitated, to say the least, with traffic. Agitated is putting it mildly. I for the most part grew up in a town of 300 people. Traffic was what happened when the train came through town and three cars were lined up waiting for it to pass. So no one can say to me "oh you grew up with it (traffic), you don't know any different." Actually I do.

But I am learning to live with it. God is giving me the grace and patience to deal with it. The traffic here compared to Chicago, Los Angles, and New York City (all three of which I have driven in) is really not that bad. You certainly don't see the forever ongoing road construction Chi-town is famous for. Or the rush hour traffic of the Dan Ryan. So when I think it is bad I think about those cities and remember it could be worse. I also pray that God will help me to calm down and help me remember that life as we know it will not end if I arrive at my destination 10 minutes late.

Besides, what position am I in to tell God that I am not going to move up here to help (when he is leading us) because of the traffic?! That is worse than Jonah telling God he didn't want to go to Nineveh because the people were wicked.

Also here is a new thought for any of you who do not like traffic. I heard this while listening to Timothy Keller's sermon entitled "Should I not Love that Great City?" (click on title to go to mp3)

Why should Christians love traffic and traffic jams? Because they are filled with people.

And people are what God loves most, yes even more than trees and the countryside. God loves people more than trees and therefore the city, including traffic, is way more important to him than a few fields or a forest. I am not saying God doesn't care for creation! He does, but it comes after people.

Now I just need to meditate on the above next time I need to get somewhere in a hurry and there is a wall of traffic in front of me.