Be Aware and On Track!
During our Texas vacation, I walked in the neighborhood each morning before sunrise. My usual workout at home involves the treadmill and recumbent bicycle. Since summers in the Lone Star State can be brutal, I prefer a somewhat “cooler” walk at 5:30am when the temperature is 80 degrees instead of 107 degrees after lunchtime! Every morning I enjoy meeting several residents walking along with their dogs on a leash. These various sized canines are eager to be outside, sniffing the smells and wagging their tails.
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| Image credit: stock.adobe.com |
This week, while driving home from the grocery store, we
encountered a different approach to an afternoon stroll. It was something spectacular! A young preteen was riding his bike uphill
through the busy neighborhood intersection. What made this so unusual was that
this young guy was also holding the left handlebar grip while gripping a remote
control with the same hand. I don’t know how he did it, but he reached across
the bars with his right hand to the control’s joystick and effortlessly guided
his remote-control toy vehicle up the street and onto the sidewalk.
It looked like he had simply taken this toy car out
for an afternoon walk! We sat at the stop sign and watched this amusing and
amazing feat. This daring boy steered the bike and the car onto the sidewalk
and further up the hill without missing a pump on the bike or without crashing
the car into the vehicles parked on the side of the street! It was all as fluid
as a ballet performance! It may have
been the finest example of multi-tasking I have seen in quite a while. Of
course, I still struggle with just chewing my gum and riding a bicycle at the
same time!😊
We all know the danger in what we saw. However, this
pre-teen was likely oblivious to the perils of riding a bike without a helmet,
and on a busy neighborhood street while distracted. Distractions like this have
many applications for adults: driving a car while talking or texting on a cell
phone, riding a bicycle or skateboard while caught up in the moment, or even walking
before sunrise by streetlight while listening to a newscast with earbuds! I
plead guilty to the latter! I had my
head down yesterday concentrating on the news when I walked up a grade and
nearly bumped into one of the neighbors and his wife who were both walking
dogs!
Being aware of, and focused on our surroundings, is a
challenge for today’s Christ-followers who live with numerous worldly distractions.
The great Apostle Paul was often confronted with the distractions of health
issues, violent resistance and imprisonment. He could have retreated from the
adversities of his life, stayed in his comfort zone rather than travelling to dangerous
and distant places on land or on storm-tossed seas. Yet, he stayed centered on
his calling and service for Christ.
Despite the “less than ideal” distractions and
circumstances, Paul exclaimed, “I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is
beckoning us onward – to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back. So,
let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for
us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total
commitment, God will clear your blurred vision – you’ll see it yet! Now that
we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.” (Philippians 3:14-16, MSG).
Where is your attention focused today? What are your
motivations? What do you need to do in the face of many distractions? Let’s
trust God to guide us in the right way and keep us on the right track!
Mike Keppler, retired pastor,
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