A SPIRITUAL DRIVING LESSON

 1 Timothy 4:15-16

Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

                After I turned 16 my parents signed me up for driver’s training. To say the least I was very nervous about the experience. My older brother had had a difficult time passing his driving test, so I was less than confident that I would do any better. There are a few things I remember about my driving instructor. He always kept a jar of hard candy in the car, which he sucked on constantly as I drove. When he taught me how to parallel park, he placed a small square of paper on the right rear window to remind me of how far I should pull forward before I started to back up and turn the car toward the curb. But the most important thing that my driving instructor taught me, which has stayed with me all these years, was the necessity to be aware of what was going on around you at all times. He used to say that my head should be on a swivel, constantly checking my mirrors. I needed to be aware of what was ahead of me, what was beside me, and what was behind me. To this day when I am driving, I am constantly checking my mirrors and scanning the sides of the road for any unexpected danger.

                I would like to use my driver’s training experience as an illustration of living the Christian life. Just as with driving a car, we can develop spiritual tunnel vision. We can become so consumed with what is right in front of us that we become oblivious to our surroundings. Most of us have no trouble focusing on the immediate. It is like watching the taillights of the car in front of us on the freeway. But if we only focus on the immediate, we quickly lose our perspective. My driving instructor taught me to be aware of what was going on several cars ahead of me. By raising my focus a little, I am better able to adjust to what is coming. The same is true in our walk with Christ.  We always need to keep the big picture in mind. God has a plan and He will accomplish it. One day Christ will return to this earth to culminate that plan. We should always be looking forward toward that day. Although we cannot predict the future, we can be ready for what may come by keeping a long-term view of life.

                When Jesus was teaching His disciples about His return, He instructed them to always be alert to what is ahead of them. “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.” (Mark 13:32-33) Driving on the freeway you always need to keep in mind where you are going. You need to be aware of what is coming up or you may miss your destination. The same is true for our spiritual journey. We need to keep in mind where we are going. We cannot get so caught up in the immediate that we miss our destination.

                When we moved to Michigan from North Dakota we had a long drive. I was following GPS because I did not know the way. For some reason, it took us off of the freeway and directed us along secondary roads. That would have been fine except that it was getting dark and I was getting tired. As I drove along unfamiliar paths, I was constantly scanning the ditches watching out for deer. Dusk is the time when deer like to be on the move and often will run out in front of you. I had to watch the road in front of me, but I also had to be aware of what was going on around me.

                Here again is a lesson for our spiritual journey. We often find ourselves traveling unfamiliar paths; situations that we have not encountered before. It is easy for us to become so focused on our current situation that we lose sight of all that is going on around us. We are in danger of missing two important things along the way. First, we may miss the signs of danger that lurk just outside of our field of vision. If we are not scanning the spiritual ditches for potential threats, we are liable to run right into them. Satan loves to catch us off-guard. He waits for a time when we are distracted then springs on us. As Peter warns us in 1 Peter 5:8, Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

                On the other hand, it is possible to be so focused on driving that we miss the beauty all around us. Recently we took a road trip to North Carolina. During a part of that trip, we had to drive through the mountains. The roads were steep, narrow, and windy. I had to be very careful to keep my eyes on the road. Unfortunately, that meant that I was unable to fully appreciate the beauty that was all around me. Sometimes in our Christian life we become so serious about what we are doing that we miss the joy and delight that God has planned for us. There is beauty all around us, if only we would take the time to recognize it.

                There is one last aspect of driving that we need to address. Especially when you are driving in heavy traffic, it is very important to keep an eye on what is going on behind you. Being unaware of what is behind you can lead to an accident. You could pull out in front of a speeding car.

                The Bible is very clear that God wants us to be aware of what has gone on before us. By taking the time to look back at the experience of other Christians, we can avoid many spiritual accidents. By taking the time to look back at what God has done for us in the past, we can gain the courage and confidence to face the challenges of the future. The stories in the Bible are not there to fill an hour in Sunday School. They are there to teach us about God, human nature, and how to live out our faith. They are an example of both what to do and what not to do.

                So as we head down the road on our spiritual journey, let us keep our eyes on what is before us, let us be fully aware of what is going on all around us, and let us learn from what is behind us.

Ephesians 5:15-16

Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.