WATCH WHERE
YOU ARE GOING!
Watch where you're going! Have you ever uttered that phrase? If you have kids, you probably have. If you've been on a busy freeway during rush hour, you most certainly have!
Last week I heard about a guy who really should have watched where he was going. Seems that last Friday this guy was spotted in front of an ATM withdrawing money with a stolen bank card. The next day, wanting more of a good thing, he came back again-but this time the police were waiting.
Unfortunately he got back to his car before they could nab him. Actually he didn't get back into his car because, like the bank card, the car was similarly snatched! When the police showed up in his rear view mirror, the proverbial car chase ensued.
Now, I have been through the smallish summer cottage country town of Bracebridge Ontario, where all this drama took place. Bracebridge isn't exactly the hub of international crime-especially in the off-season. I therefore gather that this high-speed pursuit had to be a bit of an unsettling novelty to the locals.
It seems the chase went hither and yon and up and down and this way and that until the guy made a wrong turn and the police finally cornered their man. Want to know where the chase finally ended? The chase ended right in the police station parking lot! Obviously, this guy wasn't running on the highest octane at the pump! Or maybe he wasn't from the area and really didn't know where he was going? Perhaps the thrill of the chase was about all the crook could handle. Who knows?
While I haven't had a whole lot of experience trying to outrun the law, it seems to me that driving away from, not toward, the police station would be something worth considering. That is, unless you are the most accommodating, considerate criminal in the world! Given the seriousness of this guy's lostness, I would have almost suggested that he should have stopped and ask for directions somewhere along the way-note I said, "almost". Please no angry letters guys!
Well what can we learn from
this ultimate tale of wrong turns?
First, life is full of high-speed chases. Life these days is a dizzying maze of screeching tires. If we don't watch ourselves, we will all end up in a dead end somewhere feeling confused and kinda stupid. I firmly believe that much of the temptations we succumb to happen during those times that our lives are at their busiest. Let's face it. When we are burnt out, tired and out of touch with God, we are nothing more than Satan snacks.
Second, running away from our problems doesn't work. At some point, the running stops and the problem is right there on our tail-with flashing lights and screeching sirens! Think about this guy for a moment. Not only did he add to his list of offenses by running away, he also had to walk into that police station and deal with the humiliation of the jokes and the one-liners that had to come his way! "Gee, Harry, I wish all the bad guys would do us the favor of driving themselves to jail!"
Finally, our lives can get so turned around that we think we are going one way when we are really going another. The bible says that there is "a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." (Proverbs 14:12) and the Apostle Paul told Timothy that there would be lots of people around who spend their spiritual lives "having a form of godliness but denying its power." (2 Tim 3:5) You don't want to finish your life busted in a dead end, do you? Neither do I! The only way we can gain the kind of perspective we need to make sure our compass is on truth North is by comparing our lives with the Word and will of God.
Just in case you were wondering, there is one time, and only one time when it's ok for a guy, or gal, to ask for directions--when you're talking to the Big Guy who made the directions in the first place! Have you talked to God about the direction you are heading? Have you got your bearings from the North, South, East and West of the cross? Whatever you do, please watch where you're going!
If you have any thoughts or comments, or if you would just like to talk, please e-mail me by clicking on my name at the bottom of this page. I promise to write back.
