Walking

On Tuesday nights, I have an hour and a half to kill at the soccer fields. I spend about half of this time watching soccer practice and the other half walking a loop around the fields. I go up the stairs to the upper parking lot around the top, down the side, then loop to the far outside of the bottom parking lot- partly to make as big a loop as possible and also because when I started this it was August and the far side of the lot was in the shade- then circle around the back of the fields and end up back at the bottom of the stairs. I will make this loop 3-4 times on a typical night.
Last night, I noticed another lady at the top part of my loop walking the opposite direction. We passed in the middle of the upper parking lot- I noticed she was about my size and walking about my pace. I remember this because I was thinking too bad I didn't know her because we could walk together since we were walking about the same. I made my loop and as I entered the upper lot, I passed her again, I noticed something else. We weren't passing in the middle this time- she was further on my side. Hmm...that didn't make sense. Was she walking faster than me? It didn't look like it. Maybe I needed to pick up my pace a little. So I did. Next loop- same thing. She's even further on my side of the parking lot. What the heck! At this point, I am completely bothered by this. As I loop around again I am wondering how she is going so much faster than me- I knew she wasn't running because she wasn't hot and sweaty enough to be doing that.
Am I really shallow enough to be concerned about someone walking faster than me? Oh yes and not just concerned but starting to feel a little insecure about my own pace. Maybe I am much slower than I think I am? Maybe I am not in very good shape? Maybe, maybe, maybe....
Then in God's infinite grace He let me realize that I was only passing her on the upper lot and not the lower. We were walking different routes- she was taking the inside of the bottom lot while I was swinging to the outside. If we were on different paths, I certainly could not compare our pace! I was so relieved and slightly embarrassed that I had spent the last 20 minutes trying to figure this out.
The real irony was before I noticed her and became completely distracted I was praying about not feeling like I was "behind" in my life with where God wanted me to be. I see others going off to school, writing books, leading mission teams to Africa, and I feel so plain and ordinary. Like I need to "pick up the pace". He is so sweet to me- that He took my neurotic compulsion to compete with another walker to show me a truth for the rest of my life. I am on my own path. You are on your own path. I cannot compare where I am and what I am doing with anybody else- because my path is unique to me. I may pass others along the way that look similar and seem to be doing the same thing, but even though our paths cross repeatedly, I can never forget we are on a different route to our destination. This is so relieving!
Also- as a little side note- since I was taking the outside lot, I was most likely walking faster...not that it matters...I'm just sayin'.