There are so many distractions
in life. Is it any wonder we are so confused between right and wrong?
Take, for example, driving on a highway in a big city.
You are supposed to concentrate on the road ahead of you, but big traffic signs
lure you to a variety of exits that lead you to who knows where. Is it any
wonder we often take the wrong turn, mistakes that lead to hours of delay?
Billboards also attract our attention with their
moving advertisements, and if we aren't careful we could very well end up in a
ditch. And then there are the drivers around us, drivers who cut us off, who
race at unbelievable speeds, who taunt us to join them.
What can you do in such distracting circumstances?
Even in smaller cities, distractions are everywhere.
Last summer, while walking near the port of my hometown, everybody's attention
was riveted on an ambulance and a fire truck where firemen were trying to reach
the second floor of a hotel room to rescue someone needing medical help.
Even those driving vehicles were so distracted that
they didn't even hear the noise of the lock siren, announcing that the bridge
over the canal would soon be drawn for an approaching boat. Not even the car
that was next to enter the bridge!
This poor driver didn't even know what happened to
him. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, the arms of the safety gates on both sides
of the road descended-on top of his car! One from the left, and one from the
right! Imagine the dents and scratches to his car's paint!
The driver was stopped in his tracks, confused, his
eyes still glued to the fire truck. Then he turned around and discovered his
dilemma: his car was stuck halfway onto a bridge that was about to lift!
The wrong kind of distractions can be costly. They can
rob you of your sleep at night, and even cause your demise for eternity! The
only way out of this dilemma is to know where to put your focus in all things!
"Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished
this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he
was headed - that exhilarating finish in and with God - he could put up with
anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place
of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith,
go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed
through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!" (Heb 12:2-3 The Message)
Only when we focus on Him can we avoid fear, only then
can we avoid the "snares of death". Only then can we enjoy inner peace.
"The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning a
man from the snares of death." (Prov 14:27 NIV)
"Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for;
through the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil." (Prov 16:6 NIV)
"Hey look at that parachute in the air!"
"Watch where you are heading, my friend!"
P. S. The port authorities quickly raised the safety
gates and directed the driver to back away safely from the bridge. The bridge
was able to lift in time for the boat to pass. As far as we could tell, the only
compensation for the damage to the driver's car was a lovely little traffic
ticket …
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
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