Clay in the Hands

Yesterday morning I went out to my car to head to church.  I had a meeting at 9 and I was on schedule to be early.  I got in the car and the battery was dead.  So I pulled my wife’s car around to give my car a jump.  My car started right up so I removed the cables, pulled my wife’s car back into its spot and got behind the wheel of my car to head to my meeting.

As I pulled out of the driveway, I noticed a new warning light I had never seen before.  It said, Reduced Engine Power.  I had no idea what that meant (other than the obvious) so I looked in the manual.  The manual told me that it is a safety measure the engine is programed to perform when the car is over heating.  Of course my car had been sitting for over 12 hours so I knew that could not be the problem.  Under that explanation was another that said, it could just be that the sensor telling the motor that it was overheating could be faulty.  That made more sense.  So I headed off to my meeting with Reduced Engine Power.

What I did not know was that Reduced Engine Power translated into Reduced Engine Speed.  I think I topped out at 7 miles per hour!  I was nearly late to my meeting.  In fact, at one point it dawned on me that I could walk faster than my car was moving.  But at least I was creeping along in the right direction.

As I have reflected on that experience, it has caused me to think about my spiritual progression and the speed in which I progress as well as the power it takes to get there (more on the power idea tomorrow).  We talked about that subject last week.  We often get in a hurry to get where we are going.  We easily grow impatient and think we will never “arrive.”  We need to remember that where we are headed is much more important than how fast we get there.  I have heard it said, “I have no idea where we are headed but at least we’re making good time.”  Where we are headed should be the bigger concern.  If we are a followers of the Way, then as long as our focus is on becoming more like Jesus and pleasing God, then the time it takes to get there is not nearly as important.

God knows that as humans, we will never be Jesus, so I believe God is not so concerned about whether or not you and I “arrive.”  God is ultimately concerned about who we become.

So today, make sure you are headed in the right direction but don’t panic if you don’t arrive by lunch time.

Be blessed today!