Late Because of Traffic

Monday morning, I was late for work. I'm almost never late. In my nearly five years at AiG, I have only been late once because of my own fault (oversleeping). But in those five years, I have been late a few times because of bad traffic. I absolutely hate being late for anything, even if it's for something that gives me a grace period. I also hate having to cite traffic as my reason for being late, because I feel like I'm pulling the old excuse, but what else can I say when it's the true cause? I awoke on time this last Monday morning and got out just a tad later than normal, but still plenty early to make it to Creation Museum before staff meeting. My commute takes me on a couple state routes, which never have traffic. Well, that changed Monday morning when I was locked into a complete parking lot where there has never been an accident during my driving history. Traffic frustrates me because I know that I am absolutely powerless against. No amount of thought can get me out of a locked-in parking lot. Because of this, I just sat there being frustrated with the two-lane parking lot. Several times, I even had the thought, "What fool messed up this time to cause this disaster?" After about forty-five minutes, the traffic started moving again. I still had thoughts of frustration during this whole time. But when I passed the wreckage and saw an ambulance with flashing lights speed off, I was struck with a thought. I was so caught up in my own little world of priorities that I forgot the value of life. Our civil authorities know how bad traffic can get if they shut down a major route, so they do it with discernment for the situation. The route would not have been closed if someone else's safety was not at risk. So while I was in my comfortable car, someone else was being pulled from a totaled car and being sent for medical help. The least that I can do is be patient and pray. Because isn't someone else's life worth more than my forty-five minutes? And then it really it me. Isn't someone else's eternal destination worth far more than my five minutes?