It is dangerous to ignore our car’s check engine light flashing its plea for attention on the dashboard. Of course it is. Our car may keep running, but eventually it will break down and we never know when it will happen. The worse part about this scenario is that if we keep ignoring the lights, our trip becomes filled with anxiety where we hope for the best and fear the worst.
Our life with Christ is a lot like that if we ignore God along the way and just hope for the best.
The better alternative is to keep an eye on God’s dashboard to receive his guidance so we don’t slip out of gear and start driving on our own power. This is the danger zone if we live our life “driving” under our own interpretation and guidance. This approach to life means we will never really know what we are running from, where we are running to, and why.
Paying attention to God’s dashboard to receive his signals is a critical part of being ready to respond appropriately and make wise decisions in our life.
Being ready is not merely saying, “Okay, I’m ready. I must do these things because they are right and they are what Christians are supposed to do. Okay, let’s go.” NO! That shows gumption, I suppose, except things do not typically unfold in that manner. God tells us to stay away from that approach to life.
Being ready to receive God’s direction goes way beyond showing initiative; it comes out being closely connected to him in order to see where we are and where he wants us to go. Being ready is more than seizing the mountaintop experiences of the Christian walk. It means being ready every day, not just at church, not just on the retreats, and not just with other Christians.
Getting disconnected from God rarely comes in one instant. It is more like a drift when we allow our emotions and actions to “wander” and push us away from him. If not interrupted, the cycle will continue, and eventually we end up in a wreck. Consider this from the writer of Hebrews warns us “we must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.” Hebrews 2:1
We often play a red light-green light game where we wait for God’s inspirational green light on his dashboard before pushing the gas pedal and moving forward. However, God’s gift of the inspirational green light is rare and unpredictable. Besides, God controls the switch, not us. The key is always being ready by watching God’s dashboard and not having to “get ready.” The Apostle Paul’s instruction to Timothy is good instruction in this regard: “Be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” 2 Timothy 4:2
Are you paying attention to God’s dashboard?
