Keeping Your Eyes on the Road Ahead

Our sermon today at Valley Creek Church had us listening to a guest speaker- one of our elders Don Manning.  His sermon had some great applications and refreshing insight to me as a father, husband and bread winner.  Several points stuck out but one resonated with profound clarity to me:

Keeping your eyes on the Lord!  We daily lose sight of God working in our lives and rush from one moment to the next, stuck in the past, worried about the future and losing sight of the here and now. Can you identify with that? I sure can!

I remember instantly thinking about the parallels between what he said and every day life. Rare is a day in which I drive to work and not see a traffic accident or a near miss.  We travel with it all the time- we see someone tailgating us or the cars near us, texting on the phone, eating, doing makeup, shooting across several lanes at once to make an exit, you get the idea. As a result, WE have to look out for them and make concessions lest we get a chance to meet them in person.

It struck me this morning (pardon the pun) how we take our eyes off Jesus and start looking at life by only what is directly in front of us; the exact same way so many people drive today. This is a reactive lifestyle and with the pace of life faster than ever it is even more vital for us to slow down and be more deliberate in our lives.

I remember a time in the 70's and 80's in which a third brake light was not on the back of cars, but legislators thought it prudent to create a law to help us avoid accidents by mandating that light be installed in all passenger vehicles. Would it not have been a better idea to teach us how to drive properly? By that I mean to look 20-30 seconds ahead of the vehicle in front of us. I learned this trick in a professional driving course years ago and an amazing thing happened when I did: I could not only see much further ahead but my periphery also increased. In other words, by simply changing my point of focus, much more came into clarity and I was better able to avoid an accident.

While we think we see a lot, from God's perspective our view is like   looking at the world between our hands like this image shows.

I always scratched my head at how the Israelites could not remember one day to the next the miracles God gave them to escape Egypt and be delivered from slavery. Of course they didn't have the benefit of the Holy Spirit to stay with them but I also miss how I forget every day what He has done for me and my family when I worry about something or don't pray for guidance. I am in effect, staring at the bumper of the car in front of me while I am traveling through life at a high rate of speed. (I touched on the importance of timing in your life in my January 27 article when I write about Jesus' never being in a hurry). Day by day I strive to change my focus onto God.

When we put our eyes on God literally and figuratively, we will as a result gain the vision our loving Father has for us minimizing any distractions, but we also can see rising distractions exactly as they are and be fully prepared to address or dismiss them as appropriate. This will permit us to live in the moment, leave the past in the past and welcome the future gracefully and never in a hurry, and allow us to smell the roses. 

You are going to do something great

I had a little difficulty writing this post. I have never shared this with anyone but my wife, and for those of you who know me, you'll understand why.

I am not one to tout myself and toot my own horn. In fact, that is an inherent weakness of mine in the business world as I don't concern myself with telling the boss what I am up to. Rather, I focus on the tasks he gave me and completing them. I abhore the person who is constantly trying to be the center of attention, telling everyone how great they are and what they are doing. Consequently, I do not care for subordinates who do the same, and have no place for them.

This is all about a conversation I had several years ago with a widow, and her comment has haunted me ever since. She was waiting for her vehicle to be finished in the service department, as was I and we started talking about something. What it was I cannot remember, but it was a warm, deep and thought provoking conversation. I do recall her mentioning her husband had died recently, and though she missed him, knew he was in a better place. I remember her face like it was yesterday- thin, middle-aged woman, short short hair with some gray in it. She was a beautiful, elegant lady with an aire of sophistication and perhaps aristocracy.

The bottom line, she was a magnificent lady, and I remember thinking to myself what a shame, at her early age, to have experienced the loss of her beloved husband.

At any rate, something happened that day in our conversation. After a few minutes, and after the discussions became deep and more meaningful, she paused, looking me in the eyes and said "You are going to do something great someday".

I thanked her for her kindness and time, and left. But her words did not sink in until later.

"You are going to do something great someday".

What did she see in me? What did she hear that prompted her to say that to a complete stranger after only a few minutes? At first I was complimented, but it soon turned to a dull echo in my head, sometimes consuming me as I struggled for an answer.

When I was very young, my grandfather took my hands and said "Those are the hands of a ball-player".

As it turned out, that was prophetic. I was gifted in baseball, though my grandpa never had the chance to see me play. I know he would have been proud.

It was in this context that this ladies' words affected me deeply. I had heard it before and it was prophetic, albeit from a relative.

The challenge is, has been and will be to determine what is in store for me, what is God's plan for me. I have had a servant's heart all my life. In fact, when I was 12, I made up my mind I wanted to serve my country as an officer in the military as my father had done, and the only other things that attracted me were similar missions- FBI, fire department, State Police. I hunger to make a difference, and that is something I have missed since I left medical sales. The ability to positively affect people in my profession.

So now what? Am I to run for a public office? Start a charitable organization or support one? Adopt foster children? I don't know, but I pray God to reveal to me what He would have me to do.

What about you? Are you doing God's work? Or are you resisting Him living for yourself and the moment? Nothing is sweeter than being in the blessings of the Lord, knowing you are a good child and faithful servant. In this capacity, you are a powerful witness for God. I pray you are there too.