It’s sunny. You’ve got your shades on. Sipping on your favorite beverage. The music is jamming and you are cruising down the highway. All of a sudden you see it.
A police car. Stopped in the middle of the highway.
I always break immediately (whether I was speeding or not), check out the rearview mirror for the next 30 seconds and generally slow down my speed for the rest of the trip… or until I gain confidence back! They sure know how to ruin a good drive, especially if you get nailed!On my way to and from my exercise class yesterday, I spotted 5 police cars on the highway. 3 of them had cars/trucks pulled over. (What’s the DEAL?!) You can better believe I was on my best driving behavior!
If you are like me, when you see a police car with a car pulled over, you do a few things:
♦ Crank your neck to see if you know the driver
♦ Slow down your speed to the speed limit…if not slower
♦ Drive the rest of the trip home realizing you were just 4 cars away from that being you
You might ask why in the world a Fitness Instructor is writing about police cars? Other than the fact that it’s fresh on my mind today, God used this to prove a small point to me.
I feel that God has placed people in our lives to give us little mini warnings. It’s like that pulled over car on the highway. You drive by, see them reaping a consequence to their action and continue on your merry way. The wise person will learn from the pulled over car– heed instruction, change their behavior, and move on. But how many times do I keep speeding down the highway of life setting myself up to be the next car pulled over on the side of the road?
Let me jog your mind in some areas that God may be putting some “warning” signs out for you:
Your Physical Health. Has a friend recently had a heart attack? Your mom dealing with cancer? A loved one struggling with obesity? Are you 4 cars away from your body failing you? The “fail” doesn’t have to be extreme. Even something “small” can have a great affect on your life. You have the chance now to make strides towards your health. Why are you waiting?
Your Emotional Health. Know someone who is struggling with their worth? A friend who has struggled with thoughts of suicide? One who is dealing with depression and anxiety? Are you 4 cars away from the same things? Do you feel yourself sliding emotionally? What are you doing to keep your emotional health whole?
Your Spiritual Health. Your friend quit going to church. They stopped hanging out with Christian people. You see them not making choices based on Biblical guidelines and principles. Are you 4 cars away from your spiritual life getting a huge wake-up call? What are you doing to prevent that?
There are plenty of other areas that we can watch and learn from other people on: our marriage, our finances and parenting to name a few. We all have opportunities to learn and grow. Yes, we fail and our gracious and forgiving God will pick us up when we do, but why in the world would we set ourselves up for that? I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather avoid a pricey traffic ticket and increased insurance rates and just follow the set guidelines given to me that provide freedom and safety.
“Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning.” Ecclesiastes 4:13
If you don’t take caution and proceed with the correct steps, you too will be the one “pulled over”. You have a chance to look at the situation now and a chance to make it right. Don’t wait until it’s too late and you are reaping the consequences of your behavior. Use other people’s lives to be a wake-up call for yours.
About the Author, Clare Smith: Clare and her husband and 2 children live in Northeast Ohio. She has her bachelor’s degree in business management and left a promising career to be a stay-at-home mom to her children. She is a certified fitness instructor and teaches pilates and group fitness classes at her church and local university. Clare’s passion (outside of raising and nurturing her children and home) is motivating women of all ages and stages of life to live well physically, emotionally and spiritually. Visit her at Peak313! |
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