Stop and Think

I was lining up bricks last week to create an edging for our gravel driveway, and I found that the faster I worked, the more crooked and unsightly my row of bricks became. I finally decided to place a brick and then back up to check my line. This was more tedious work, and I think I did more evaluating than brick-laying, but it was the only way I could get a straight row of bricks. 

Paul exhorted the Ephesian believers to approach their lives in the same manner. “Be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools… Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do” (Eph 5:15,17).  Rather than plowing ahead carelessly, we're called to think about how we live. Tozer once said, “The chief difference between man and beast is that man reflects and the beast does not.”  No horse stops to think about where it’s going; without the guidance of a farmer, the ox will plow crooked rows.  A year ago, I built a chain link fence with a 135 ft straight stretch of fence, and the only way I could get it straight was by backing up often, checking my line, and making numerous adjustments.  In construction, being off by only a centimeter can result in a dangerous, unstable structure. 

I spend a lot of time trying to accomplish broad, sweeping tasks - loving my wife, following Jesus - but these are like 1,000 foot stretches of fence. The only way I can succeed is by concentrating on every little fence post, every connection, every footing.  We often get caught up in the romantic idea of “living our lives for Jesus,” but we should be living our moments for Jesus, for what we make of our moments will determine what we make of our lives.   

Life can be like driving through a snowstorm.  We lose perspective when trudging through the snow and can easily end up in the ditch. It’s only when we pull over that we can regain our bearings.  The book of Haggai is only two chapters, but in those two chapters God tells the people five times to consider their ways.  I like that: Consider. Evaluate. Stop and think. Make modifications. Are the decisions you’re currently making, the books you’re currently reading, the people you’re currently associating with, the movies currently you’re watching… are these building you a solid foundation, constructing you a straight fence, or are they just taking you on a winding, haphazard journey through life?  You say you want to be with God, but is your current lifestyle going to get you there?  If not, then perhaps it’s time for some adjustments.