"Stay in Your Lane!"
When our grown children “talk shop” about their jobs and careers, I often hear reoccurring themes of office politics and “one-upmanship” in the workplace. Experts will say that such bravado is a mixture of competitiveness and personal insecurities. But, the goal is usually to make another’s accomplishments seem small if not inconsequential! I recently heard a retired family member lament about this subject, “That’s why I’m glad to be retired!”
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| Follow Sophie, the Leader! That's Better!😊 |
The metaphor.
“Stay in your lane,” has been around a while and may have had its origin in
driving and sports (swimming and track) applications where a lane is involved to
prevent accidents or interference. In professional settings, the phrase is
usually used as a cautionary warning for coworkers to mind their own business
and avoid overstepping into another’s responsibilities.
The
ultimate putdown is to harshly question a coworker, “Why don’t you stay in your
lane?” Strongly telling someone to “back off” from unsolicited advice or
refrain from expressing opinions in areas of least experience is a surefire way
to maximize disagreement. It would be better to soften this saying with
something similar but less confrontive like “Let’s each play our part,” or “Let’s
focus on our strengths.”
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| Hey! Hey! Get in Your Lane! |
It may be
tempting to want everyone to be like us, but it is unrealistic and
presumptuous. It is obvious that we are all different. We have a unique divine
design regarding the mix of our personalities, passions, talents, intellect,
and spiritual gifts. Some of us are introverts, while others are extroverts.
Some of us are out-front leaders and others are behind the scenes in adding
value. Yet, it takes each of us using our divine make-up to contribute to the
whole.
So, “stay
in your lane,” can be a positive affirmation. It implies that increased attention given to our God-given design and strengths can create a heightened synergy collectively that keeps our workplaces and church ministries moving and efficient. We
shouldn’t be surprised that the outcome of this focused influence will be
infinitely greater than the sum of the individual parts!
One of the
greatest examples of focused energy is the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. This
year will mark the fifty-fifth year of this 1,000-mile endurance run across the
Alaskan wilderness. The history of this epic run commemorates the “Great Race
of Mercy” in 1925 when teams of mushers and dogs faced deadly blizzard
conditions across 674 miles to transport (in five and a half days!) a
life-saving diphtheria serum to save residents in the icebound town of Nome. It
was a feat of focused bravery and endurance on the part of the 150 dogs and 20 mushers!
The writer
to the Hebrews uses a powerful sports metaphor to teach the importance of staying
in our lane. “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so
easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…” (Hebrews
12:1-2). Have you considered lately how special your life is? God has
providentially marked out your race. It’s your specific assignment and no one else’s!
You are not competing with anyone! It’s God’s race designed for you! Get in
your lane!
Let’s not waste our energy comparing ourselves to others or feeling jealousy about another’s gifts and talents. Instead, let’s steward our own abilities and use them for God’s glory!
Sophie Links: Smart Sitting Shadowing
Mike Keppler, retired pastor,
active churchman and
doting grandparent.
Contact: drmjkeppler@gmail.com
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Serve by Design. mjkministries.com
.JPG)
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