Monday, March 22, 2010

The Tragedy of Life in the Fast Lane

So.

It has been 33 days since my last post.

I WANT to be consistent.

Really, .....I do.

But, MAN, blogging regularly is HARD for me! I can write in my journal, but to actually have time to sit down at the computer and post what I've written....now, that's a different story!

But.... I press on! :)

So, here is something I wrote in JANUARY (smile).....that I was supposed to post in FEBRUARY (sigh) about speeding and life in the fast lane. :)

A parallel was drawn for me by the Holy Spirit between my busy life and that of a person speeding in a car. I guess sometimes I just don't get it, so God has to use something creative to get my attention. Like a speeding ticket. Ya.
Some of the things that happen or can happen when we are exceeding the speed limit in your car are:
  1. We often miss important road signs or exits. (Most of our exits off of the freeway are on the right side. If we stay in the fast lane, we may not be able to get over in time to exit.)
  2. We use more gas. (Disclaimer: My friend (R.H.) told me that if you go over 65 mph that you use more gas. Not sure if this is true, but it sounded like it made sense...and it worked well for this post so I thought I'd include it LOL!)
  3. We sometimes cannot avoid road hazards that could have otherwise been avoided.
  4. We are more likely to be in a collision.
  5. It is easier to loose control (especially if the weather conditions are bad).

Sometimes we don't realize we are speeding until it's too late - we hear a siren behind us or perhaps we see a fellow citizen pulled over on the side of the highway searching frantically for their insurance card and driver's license. Ah....a gentle reminder that the speed limit is strictly enforced - so we slam on our breaks and set our cruise control, removing our foot from the gas pedal because we do not trust ourselves...and breath a sigh of relief that we didn't get caught this time (except I did).

As God began to show me this picture (after I got my speeding ticket!), He immediately related it to my own life. When we get so busy , living each day hurriedly and frantically, there seems to never be enough hours to complete our tasks. It is easy to become agitated, frustrated, forgetful, distracted......any of these sound familiar? And most often it's because we have neglected the most important thing, spending time in the presence of God.

Some of the things that can happen if we are too busy:

  1. We often miss important signs and strategic exits! (God is speaking and showing us things every day! Are we taking time to see? And in troubled times, He often provides for us a way of escape.....a strategic exit! But if we are not positioned to receive from Him, we miss out.)
  2. We use more gas! Seriously....sometimes I am worn out before I even leave the house! Where's my phone? My keys? My list? Hurry Hurry Hurry! :) And by the end of the day.....I am ready to DROP!
  3. Road Hazards! Often there are obstacles in our path that can be avoided. But if we are too distracted we may run them over, causing some serious damage!
  4. More likely to CRASH! We can get so worn down from stress and/or lack of rest that we get physically sick and literally CRASH!
  5. Losing control: When our life is out of balance and too busy, it is easy for things to get turned upside down. We may soon find our self trying to steer our way back onto the course God has set for us.

So how do we know if we are "speeding?" Maybe our speedometer is broken and we don't even know that we're about to crash. We must take a look at the things that occupy our time. How much time is set aside for us to get filled up and refreshed? We must go to the Master Mechanic and allow Him to inspect and repair what needs to be fixed! And make sure our cruise control is set to a safe speed limit! :)

(And always make sure your insurance card is in your car..........just sayin)

Beep Beep.

3 friends had this to say:

Anonymous said...

THIS POST IS GREAT..Hello again
thanks for checkin out my blog..and yes it is NICE to get comments, btw it is easy to not stay BLOGFOCUSED when no one comments!!! So I will be commenting:0)

Ok so this speedometer...mine as of today will be completely fixed at the car shop....my temp gauge broke and I didnt take care of it right away and it messed up my speedometer by getting in the way...spiritual aspect: I have found that what is happening to you is for you and most likely a allegory for my inner world...so I have been a bit easy to hit HOT lately and I was having a hard time keeping my temp undercontrol and I noticed I tried to keep myself busy so that I wouldnt freak out but that just wacked me all out...so I took my car in literally...and I took me into the Fathers throne room to have a heart check...slowing down and connection with the Lord, handing it all over to Him HELPS!!:0)

Anonymous said...

Oh wow, 33 days is insane! Don't be so absent, I like your blog. You write how I think! lol. I'm like you in that I can write/journal all day, but writing it and then transferring it to the computer is a whole new ball park...

And busy isn't even the word for me sometimes :( And I don't even do anything!!! (stay at home wife, volunteer, assist @ church..so I so a few things, but I don't do anything major) I just over load my daily schedule with a 1,000 things. Now I make a to-do list with Holy Spirit the night before, and re-evaluate it in the morning. I don't overload it and don't cry when I have to transfer things to the next day, lol. I'm getting myself in order, I don't want a speeding ticket to be used as an analogy!!!

Eve said...

Shelly

Love the David Crowder Song. I am so happy their are more Christian bloggers out. I look forward to reading your posts