God Is Present in the Carpool Line, Too
September 6, 2026
God Is Present in the Carpool Line, Too
Over the past few weeks, we have talked about the stop signs, pivots, and redirections God may use to move us into greater alignment with Him.
But once God begins repositioning us, there is something else we must learn:
How to remain present with Him wherever He places us.
The other day, I caught myself complaining about how busy my schedule has become.
School is back in session. Our children’s sports and activities are underway. And some days, I spend more than two hours behind the wheel of my car.
Driving to school.
Driving to practice.
Driving to another activity.
Waiting in a parking lot.
Then turning around and doing it all again.
I remember thinking, I feel like a taxicab driver!
And honestly, I started feeling quite frustrated by all the minutes of my day spent behind the wheel instead of at my desk.
I began mentally calculating everything I could accomplish if I just had those two hours back. And I said to God, “God, how am I supposed to do everything You are calling me to do when so much of my day is spent driving? What is on my plate that is not supposed to be there?”
I know I could hire someone to help with the transportation. But the truth is, I don’t want to.
I genuinely love having that time with my children.
Some of our best conversations happen in the car. I get to hear about their days, listen to their stories, celebrate their victories, and help them process their disappointments.
I want to be present for those moments.
Yet I was still looking at the time behind the wheel as though it were taking away from what God wants me to do with my work.
Then God gently reminded me of Brother Lawrence.
Brother Lawrence was a 17th-century Christian lay brother who became known for what he called practicing the presence of God.
He was assigned to work in the monastery kitchen—a responsibility he did not naturally enjoy. His days were filled with preparing meals, washing dishes, completing ordinary chores, and responding to people calling for different things.
Yet Brother Lawrence discovered that he did not have to withdraw from his work to experience God.
He could wash a dish with God.
He could prepare a meal with God.
He could pick something up from the floor out of love for God.
He learned to remain in continual, simple conversation with God while completing the task in front of him.
Eventually, he experienced the same peace in the noise and commotion of the kitchen that he experienced during designated times of prayer.
One of his simple reminders was:
“We ought not weary of doing little things for the love of God.”
Wow.
As I sat with that, God began changing the lens through which I was viewing my schedule.
What if those hours in the car are not taking me away from my work He has planned for me?
What if they are part of my work in this season?
God already knew my children’s schedules when He called me to this work.
He already knew how deeply I desire to fulfill this assignment while also remaining involved in my children’s lives.
He knew about the practices, the games, the school drop-offs, the conversations, and all those miles I would drive.
None of this surprised Him.
And if He already knew, then perhaps the answer is not to complain about this season or attempt to rush through it.
Perhaps the invitation is to practice His presence within it.
I realized that I had been looking at those two hours as time I needed to reclaim and make more productive.
But God was showing me that I did not need to turn every minute into more work.
I needed to become more present.
Present with Him.
Present with my children.
Present to the wisdom of His still, small voice.
Present to the conversations and holy moments happening right inside my car.
God is not only present when I am writing, teaching, mentoring, or building White Coat Revival.
He is present in the carpool line.
He is present at soccer practice.
He is present while I wait in the parking lot.
He is present in the ordinary work of being a mother or father.
And He is just as available to you in the ordinary moments of your day.
He is present while you drive to work each day.
He is present while you wash your hands between patients.
He is present while you complete your documentation, return phone calls, prepare dinner, fold laundry, or sit beside a child doing homework.
We often think we need to escape our responsibilities to find God.
Brother Lawrence discovered something more profound:
The task does not have to change for the atmosphere within us to change.
Brother Lawrence’s way of living beautifully reflects Paul’s instruction in Colossians 3:23 to do all things for the Lord. Our ordinary responsibilities become sacred when we do them wholeheartedly, in partnership with God and for His glory.
Practicing God’s presence does not require adding another appointment to your calendar. It changes how you inhabit the appointments already on it.
It means turning your attention toward Him throughout the day and saying:
“Jesus, You are here with me.”
“What are You seeing?”
“How can I love You and serve this person in front of me?”
“Give me Your wisdom for this moment.”
“Help me complete this task with You—not merely for You.”
This is how ordinary work becomes worship.
It is how a kitchen becomes a sanctuary.
It is how an exam room becomes holy ground.
And it is how my car can become a place of communion with God and connection with our children.
The circumstances may not change. The schedule may still be full. The drive may still take two hours.
But when I stop resisting the moment and become present within it, the stress begins to loosen its grip.
I can receive the grace God has already placed inside this season.
So, let me ask you:
What ordinary responsibility have you been treating as an interruption to your purpose?
Could it actually be part of the place where God is inviting you to experience Him?
Where have you been physically present but mentally rushing toward the next task?
What might change if, instead of complaining about that moment, you invited God into it?
Perhaps the next step is not to rearrange your entire life.
Perhaps it is simply to pause and say:
“Lord, help me recognize Your presence right here.”
God is not waiting for you only in the quiet room, the worship service, or the perfectly organized morning.
He is with you in the noise.
He is with you in the responsibilities.
He is with you in the work.
He is with you behind the wheel.
You do not have to leave your present season to find Him.
You can journey with Him through every task of your day.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”
— Colossians 3:23 NIV