A Curve in the Road

A few years ago some friends and I decided to go on a motorcycle ride. What should have been an enjoyable day turned out to be one of misery. The morning was spent riding in heavy rain. And if that wasn't bad enough later in the afternoon I failed to negotiate a curve, which resulted in my losing control and winding up in a field. There I lay with scratches, a hurt back hurt, but even more an injured pride. As I reflected upon my experience I thought about a statement I had heard, "A curve in the road is not the end of the road unless you fail to make the turn." Needless to say I had failed to make the turn so I asked "how did this happen?" This led to several conclusions that I applied to my accident and eventually to my spiritual life. First, was the possibility of speed. Maybe I was going too fast to make the turn. Most of the accidents we face in our journey with God has to do with speed. We simply fail to slow down and hear what he is saying to us. Second, was the aspect of preoccupation. Was I so preoccupied with the things along the road that I failed to pay attention to the basic principle of safety; that is to stay on the road itself. This happens also in our walk with God. We become so engrossed in the blessings and manifestations that we lost sight of the main thing; God himself. The final possibility had to do with relaxation. Had I become so relaxed in my ride that I dozed for a brief second which led to my losing control. The threat of this is all too common in the spiritual realm. That's why we are admonished in scripture to be "alert" and "awake" at all times. It only takes a second to face disaster. Whatever the case, from that day on I determined in my mind that I would slow down, remain focused, and stay awake in order to negotiate the curves before me. What about you?