Carpool Chaos

Y’all. I had a moment this week — one of those humbling, “oh wow, I might be the problem” kind of moments.

It started, as most of my spiritual revelations do, after dropping off the kids in the carpool line at school.

Somebody (not naming names, but they live here rent-free and call me Mom) was melting down because their socks were “feeling not happy.” I was trying to explain that the sock was fine, they were fine, and we were all fine — when suddenly, I realized I was irritated not because they were upset, but because their upset was messing up my peace. Their meltdown wasn’t about the sock anymore. It was about me. My morning. My control. My comfort.

Oof.

See, I like to think I’m the main character in the story God’s writing — but really, I’m more like a supporting role in someone else’s scene half the time. And yet I’m over here rewriting the script, stealing the spotlight, and demanding a retake because my hair looked weird in that spiritual lesson.

It’s easy to make everything about me:

• The slow driver in front of me? Sent by the devil to ruin my schedule.
• My boss who didn’t text back immediately? Clearly doesn’t value my work.
• The church event that didn’t fit my expectations? Well, they should’ve asked me first.

But then I open my Bible and see story after story where God reminds His people that they’re part of something bigger — something that’s not centered on their comfort or convenience. Jonah made Nineveh about himself and ended up in a fish. Martha made Mary’s worship about herself and ended up frustrated in the kitchen. (A situation I frequently find myself in.) Even Peter made Jesus’ suffering about himself and got rebuked with a “Get behind me, Satan.”

Turns out, self-centeredness doesn’t just make me cranky. It makes me miss the miracle.

Because when I make everything about me, I make it impossible to see what God’s doing in others.
When I loosen my grip on the spotlight, though — when I stop demanding that life be edited to my liking — that’s when I finally see the full story He’s been writing all along.

So this week, I’m asking God to help me play my part without hogging the script. To cheer louder for others. To listen longer. To stop turning every inconvenience into a personal attack.

And maybe, just maybe, to let someone else have the last word…
(unless it’s about socks — because those were definitely fine).

Verse to hang onto:
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.” – Philippians 2:3