Day 9 Speed awareness

 I have a confession to make. After 40 years of driving I finally got caught and had to do a speed awareness course. 😊 Apologies to all of you who thought I was perfect and are now disillusioned and disappointed. I was doing 37 in a 30 limit. Because I thought I was in a 40 - no excuse and I thoroughly deserved the punishment. 

The whole thing was actually very interesting.  I was surprised at how many of the rules of the road Id kind of forgotten and some things I didn't know at all.  The course was online and there were discussions with other participants and videos to watch. One section was about how speed affects your ability to accurately perceive hazards and I found it fascinating.  I did really well on spotting potential dangers when the video was playing travel at the speed limit. But when they played the car travelling at 5mph over the limit I totally missed the cues.  Having done the course I do find myself being super aware of my driving now. And this is a good thing.  After 40 years of travelling many of the same super-familiar roads I was most definitely blasé and over confident in my own abilities. 

Ive also been a Christian for 40 years or so. Im now an 'elder'. One of those people who's supposed to know what they are doing, supposed to be an example, a safe pair of hands.  And mostly I am. Because Ive got loads of experience and teaching and walking with Jesus behind me.  But..... today Im asking myself where, in my faith life, has familiarity bred contempt? Where have I become a bit lazy? Where have I failed to keep myself up to date with new thinking and where am I allowing bad habits to make me just that wee bit dangerous to myself and maybe others?   Driving just a wee bit too fast is careless. It means I care less about my own safety and that of others than I do about getting there 10 seconds faster. Being sloppy in my spiritual life, falling back on tradition, habit, religion instead of daily-new relationship is careless too. It means I'm less able to spot the hazards on the road ahead. I'm more likely to have an 'accident' , stumble, yield to temptation, become lukewarm.

The Bible is our Highway Code and Jesus is our driving instructor.  Every single rule in the Book is there for a good reason and it is always for our good.  If we follow what it says in the Book then most of our journey will go without a hitch but every now and again someone else on the road will be doing something that the Book doesn't account for and that's when we need Jesus speaking His word in our ear and telling us ' right or left, this is the way, go this way'.  

Maybe you didnt get a speeding ticket this week but maybe it was something else a bit unpleasant and annoying that happened.  Look for the lesson. There is always a lesson for those who are willing to learn.