Lookout! Take Evasive Action!
This past weekend was a 3-day weekend for us. The federal holiday meant our whole family had the day off, and we decided to go on a hike.
In the northern Virginia area, sometimes it seems like there are a million different ways to get somewhere. My family had been to this particular hiking area before, but I hadn’t. Between looking at the route ahead of time, then following two different sets of GPS directions and my wife’s memory of the last time she’d been there, we ended up going a route none of us had ever taken. It wasn’t bad, we enjoy taking the back roads when we’re not in a hurry, especially if it involves some country scenery…a nice change of pace from where we spend most of our time.
Well, this particular route took us on some small roads. They were all paved, thankfully, but some of them didn’t have any lines painted on them and were narrower than what we’re used to here in the suburbs. It was also the kind where you often couldn’t see too far ahead due to all the turns and/or hills. No problem. I grew up and learned to drive in an area like that.
As we were driving, we were going uphill in a curve. From out of nowhere, a bright yellow 18-wheeler that seemed even larger than normal came flying downhill from the opposite direction, and was very much in my lane. I swerved until I was practically scraping the hill on the passenger’s side, and by the grace of God, we dodged that bullet and lived to see another day. Just when the excitement from that experience died down, a deer decided to try to beat us across the road, and since it, too, came out of nowhere, our vehicle underwent more evasive maneuvers.
Now really, how relaxed do you think I was for the rest of that drive? It would have been nice to go for a laid back, enjoyable ride in the country, but there is a different set of hazards that come along with that activity. As the rest of the family was pointing out fun things along the drive that we don’t often get to see, it fell to me to ignore those things and focus on the responsibility that was more important at the time. I had to keep everyone in the vehicle safe by constantly scanning the road and the surrounding area as we drove along. Thankfully, we finally made it to where we were trying to go.
This life is full of distractions and other things that seem like they’re trying to get in the way of where you’re trying to go, especially if that destination involves pursuing the activities God’s called you to pursue. In that case you have responsibilities that are more important than the distractions you’ll pass along the way. Yes, it means there are things you’ll have to forego. It will cost you personally, and it will sap you of some of your time and energy.
That’s okay, even if it’s hard, because it will one day be worth it. It doesn’t mean God requires that you live a life of misery. (On the contrary, Christians are to live lives of joy.) It simply means that your calling is too important not to do, and if you’re going to succeed in accomplishing it, it means there are other things in your life that are not going to get done. Do your best to ensure the things that don’t get done are things that have no eternal value.
By way of example, I like watching a TV show to veg out as much as the next person, but there’s a difference between decompressing and binge-watching. If doing God’s work means you haven’t caught up on the latest season of whatever the latest hit show is, that’s gonna have to be okay. It doesn’t need to be TV, it’s anything that takes up more of your time than it ought to, or anything that you wouldn’t be devoting time to if you were fully engaged in the thing God’s assigned you to do.
You do that, and when you make it to the end, your prioritization will pay off…
(As an aside, I was going to write on a different topic before these events happened. When God put two near-misses in our path, I started wondering why. Near as I can figure, it’s because someone reading this needs to hear about it. If so, God orchestrated events just right so we had some uncomfortable moments and sovereign protection so they could be shared. This post’s for you!)