The Pastor's Pen
I didn't know auto racing was such a big deal. You have to be a dedicated fan to sit around a paved oval track on a one-hundred degree day and watch blurred objects speed past you at two hundred miles per hour. I get the urge to lather up with sun screen and plug my ears just thinking about it.
A total of one hundred and thirty thousand race fans descended into our town to witness a track speed record shattered as well as the shattering of a few very expensive race cars. When man and machine are pushed to the limits, there is glory for the winners. We admire the team that fielded a car and driver that could stand the incredible stress to push its resources to the verge of meltdown to win the trophy.
We live in a pedal to the metal society. We have come to expect that pushing ourselves to the limits is the norm. Winners take the turns of life boldly and accelerate ahead toward the victory lap. Losers develop engine trouble because of the constant wear and tear and grind to a halt. Losers may flinch coming out of a steep turn and end up crashing and burning. In the race of life, we have come to accept winners and losers, successes and burn outs. We witness many burning out. Yet we view failure as a sad, but expected casualty of life.
Don't misunderstand me here. Setting goals and working hard to reach them is noble. God wants us to fulfill our potential and make a difference with our lives. He wants us to provide for our families and the needy among us.
The Great Commission itself can only be achieved by God working through committed, hard working goal oriented people.
God has given us a special gift: It's a hormone called adrenaline. We need this to achieve great things. Whether it's an important sales presentation, an 'all nighter' with a sick child, or preparation for a tough exam, adrenaline enhances our performance.
We blow gaskets when we never rest. We crash and burn when the adrenaline is pumping continually with no break. We grind to a halt when our batteries are never recharged.
Satan is a wise serpent. If he can't get us to stop being productive, he pushes our foot to the floor until we smack head-on into a brick wall.
How do you know if you are living with the pedal to the metal and about to blow a gasket? There are physical symptoms. Engine wear and tear takes the form of high blood pressure, ulcers, frequent headaches. This is called stress.
There are emotional symptoms. Engine wear looks like irritability, anger, pettiness. Maybe you're apathetic. You just don't care as you used to.. You lack vision for your projects and those people that you used to love begin to irritate you. This is called burn out.
If I am hitting close to home, you need support. You need someone outside your immediate family to talk to and pray with you. (Your spouse has listened to the point of ear damage, and the dog just shouldn't be kicked anymore...)
If I am hitting close to home, you need safety margins in your life. God has been speaking to me about addressing in sermons over the next couple months, some of the marginal needs in our lives... Margins of safety in our marriages, finances, time commitments, and parenting practices. I pray you will find practical help for these very real challenges.
If I am hitting close to home, you need the Word of God to navigate the turns and avoid the out of control drivers that threaten your safety. Jeremiah was called to give direction to a burned out nation of people. In Jeremiah 6:16, God say through the prophet Jeremiah, "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls." Ask God in prayer to reveal to you these ancient paths. Become familiar with His Word so you will know His ways.
Don't we all want rest for our souls? Don't wait to crash before making a change in your margins of safety. Junk yards are not pretty places.
Dan
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