“Show me your ways, LORD, teach me your paths.”

PSALM 25:4 (NIV)

Late in the afternoon, I found myself driving down a road I had traveled hundreds of times before. Same exits. Same turns. Same scenery. For years, I passed that way without thinking twice. It had become routine, a straight line between where I was and where I needed to be.

But that day, something caught my attention, a building I had never really noticed before. A tall oak standing firm near Pewaukee, its leaves just beginning to shift color. Even the way the sunlight hit the curve of the road looked different. It stopped me in thought. How many times have I passed this exact spot and never really seen it?

That drive reminded me how easy it is to live on autopilot. We rush through our routines, same schedule, same faces, same plans, barely paying attention to the details right in front of us. In doing so, we miss the small reminders of beauty, growth, and God’s presence woven into our everyday lives.

Autopilot does not only show up in how we drive. It shows up in how we speak, how we pray, and how we respond to the people closest to us. We can start repeating the same phrases, giving the same answers, showing up the same way, without ever checking in with our own heart. After a while, we are present in body but absent in spirit. Life starts to feel like a blur of tasks instead of a journey of moments.

What if God is using these familiar routes to whisper something we have been too busy to hear? A nudge to forgive. A reminder to rest. A quiet invitation to see ourselves and others with fresh eyes. The road does not change, but our awareness can. That day, as I noticed the oak tree and the light across the pavement, I sensed God saying, “You have been here before, but you have not seen it like this.” And I realized, sometimes that is all it takes, a small shift in attention that turns a regular drive into a conversation with God.

Very often, the only difference between routine and revelation is the pace we choose. When we slow down just enough to breathe, notice, and listen, the ordinary moments of our day begins to carry meaning. My awareness came around Mile Marker 300.2, and in that moment, I promised myself I’d pay a little closer attention to things like a coworker’s expression, a child’s question, or even a sunrise I usually ignore. All of these become mile markers that remind us that God is closer than we think, even on the roads we feel we know by heart.

That day, the familiar road taught me that just because something is ordinary does not mean it has nothing to show us. Sometimes the lessons, the reminders, and the inspiration we need are hidden in the very places we overlook. All it takes is a shift in perspective, a willingness to slow down, to pay attention, and to open our eyes to what has always been there.

Familiar roads still have new lessons if we’re willing to pay attention.

Keep moving forward,

Dr. Key