Today's blog is less of a reflection on scripture and more a confession of sin.
Yesterday morning, I received my first traffic citation ever. I ran a stop sign in our neighborhood. It was early morning and I was rushing to get somewhere. No excuse, but I had awaken to some issues that I was needing to deal with and my mind was elsewhere. I was driving distracted. I don't remember not stopping at that stop sign and the next thing I knew was that I saw blue lights in my rearview mirror. I was pulled over (in my own subdivision) and I was sitting there while many of my neighbors passed by looking to see who the criminal was sitting in my truck (it was me!).
The nice young officer of the Mt. Juliet Police Department, after looking at my license and registration, kindly asked, "Mr. Palmer, do you know why I stopped you?" And, looking dumber than usual, I replied, "No, not really." I truly was so distracted that I had no idea what I had done.
I wonder how often I am distracted in my spiritual life? How many times do I get so caught up in the physical world that I don't stop to see, hear and experience where God is working and what He is doing around me?
That mother with the screaming child at the checkout counter in the grocery store...
That group of young teenagers hanging out and looking like a skateboard gang...
That person in the hallway at work...
The list goes on and on and on. Every day and every moment, the spiritual opportunities that God places before me to minister to or to share a word of truth are like that stop sign in my neighborhood that I blew by without even heeding.
To make the story (of the traffic violation) even worse, the officer asked me, "So, where were you going in such a hurry?" To which I honestly replied, "Well...a prayer breakfast." The officer chuckled and handed me the citation.
Lord, may I be alert today to the stop signs you place in my life. May I stop, look and discern what You are doing in my life and Your world. May I not "drive" through this life distracted too much to see the most important things...
Selah!
Yesterday morning, I received my first traffic citation ever. I ran a stop sign in our neighborhood. It was early morning and I was rushing to get somewhere. No excuse, but I had awaken to some issues that I was needing to deal with and my mind was elsewhere. I was driving distracted. I don't remember not stopping at that stop sign and the next thing I knew was that I saw blue lights in my rearview mirror. I was pulled over (in my own subdivision) and I was sitting there while many of my neighbors passed by looking to see who the criminal was sitting in my truck (it was me!).
The nice young officer of the Mt. Juliet Police Department, after looking at my license and registration, kindly asked, "Mr. Palmer, do you know why I stopped you?" And, looking dumber than usual, I replied, "No, not really." I truly was so distracted that I had no idea what I had done.
I wonder how often I am distracted in my spiritual life? How many times do I get so caught up in the physical world that I don't stop to see, hear and experience where God is working and what He is doing around me?
That mother with the screaming child at the checkout counter in the grocery store...
That group of young teenagers hanging out and looking like a skateboard gang...
That person in the hallway at work...
The list goes on and on and on. Every day and every moment, the spiritual opportunities that God places before me to minister to or to share a word of truth are like that stop sign in my neighborhood that I blew by without even heeding.
To make the story (of the traffic violation) even worse, the officer asked me, "So, where were you going in such a hurry?" To which I honestly replied, "Well...a prayer breakfast." The officer chuckled and handed me the citation.
Lord, may I be alert today to the stop signs you place in my life. May I stop, look and discern what You are doing in my life and Your world. May I not "drive" through this life distracted too much to see the most important things...
Selah!
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