My son is learning to drive. One thing that I've noticed is that he doesn't know when he's going too fast, whether it be approaching a stop sign, driving in traffic, or making a turn. Today he asked me how to know if he was going too fast.
That's a good question, not only for someone learning to drive, but for all of us. How do you know if you're going too fast?
If everything around you is a blur, and you can't make out what is going by, you're probably going too fast. When you're turning the wheel, but still going in the same direction, chances are really good that speed is no longer your friend. If you're slamming on the brakes at the last minute, and your passengers are kissing the windshield, there's a problem.
It's time to slow down.
It's easy to get caught up in the rat race.
This time of year, at least for us, seems especially busy. Kids' sports, school activities, yard work, sports I'm involved in . . . the list goes on and on. And the other stuff doesn't go away to make room. We still have to go to work. The kids still get hungry and have to eat. I still need to spend time with my wife, with God, studying, teaching, writing.
It's a lot, and there are only so many hours in the day, so many days in the week.
Pretty soon, it all becomes a blur. I get going so fast, I catch myself coming and going, and whatever I come to, doesn't seem to go right. When I try to change direction, tires screech and smoke and I slide through the intersection sideways.
It's time to slow down.
I'm not going to pretend to have the answers here. If I did, I wouldn't be struggling. Life wouldn't be a blur, and I wouldn't feel like I'm about to careen off a bridge. I do struggle. I often feel like this truck is out of control. I don't get done what I want to do, and what I do, isn't done well.
Some people seem to handle the busyness of life better than others. Me, I need space to maneuver. I need time to react. I don't like to speed, tailgating whoever is in front of me, yelling for them to go faster as I pound on the steering wheel. I don't like to sit in traffic jams, but I don't want to drive in the bumper to bumper freeway race at 80 MPH either. I've seen what happens when people crash at high speeds on the road and on the path of life; it ain't pretty.
We--I--need to slow down. I don't just want to, I need to. I know my limits, and as much as I'd like to believe I'm ten feet tall and bullet proof, that I could drive NASCAR and win, I know, deep down, I can't. Even a race car out of control isn't going to get where they want to go any time soon. I've crashed before; I don't want to go down that road again.
Some things we can't control; but some we can.
Life is busy, and that's not a bad thing. It's good to stay busy, for as Proverbs 13:4 says, The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied. On the other hand, the Bible also says, in Proverbs 23:4, Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint.
It is one thing to be diligent. It is quite another to work yourself to a frazzle and wear yourself out. It is the exercise of wisdom to know the difference, and do something about it. For, if I could quote from that wonderful book of Proverbs one more time, 14:1 says, The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down.
When life's a blur, and you're having trouble keeping it between the lines, it's time to exercise a little wisdom, and slow down.
No comments:
Post a Comment