11/22 - Where Are You Going?

I saw a wreck on I-75 the other day and this one was was really bad. The scene didn't leave one with much hope for a favorable outcome for those involved. The odd thing was that there was just one car involved and it lay on its side with smoke pouring out of the car as if it would just blow up at any moment. Now I was able to observe this because, like everyone else, I slowed down to see what was happening. Normally, I try to continue at my normal speed and shoot up a quick prayer for the accident victims because I don't want to be that guy I always talk about who slows down traffic for something they can't do anything about. But this accident was a little different.

I began to think about why people slow down to watch accidents. Is it because we're nosy? Is it our undying concern for our fellow man? Or is it because some part of us that knows that accident could have easily been us? The most likely answer is because the car in front of us slowed down too, but I think there is something to that third reason - we know it could have been us. We're all so distracted when we drive - text messages, phone calls, meals, make-up, music, etc - we're really just seconds away from being on the side of the road with everyone slowing down to look at us. Now we don't intend to get into an accident and most certainly don't intend to harm anyone else but our good intentions aren't good enough are they?

In a book I'm reading (The Principle of the Path - Andy Stanley) the author points out that our intentions are not necessarily (and in most cases if we're honest) connected to our actual direction. We intend to be faithful believers, good parents, conscientious drivers, good cooks, etc. but if our lives have no evidence that we're on a path to becoming these things the outcome is quite predictable - we won't become them. I have dreams of one day being a decent cook. That one day I'll be able to throw something on the grill that will change the way people feel about food. However, one look at the path I'm on would clue you in to the inevitable truth that I'll never get there. My once-a-year attempt at grilling out might not get me there (until I'm 90 yrs old).

Thinking back to the accident analogy, we've all looked across at other distracted drivers and thought "You're going to get someone in an accident!" or "Let me get away from this person before they cause me to wreck." For many of us (me) this is very hypocritical but it points out something very critical about this principle. we often know where a particular path might lead...when viewing someone else's life. It's when we apply it to our own life that we can experience change and begin to ask God to help us align our intentions with our actions. The author would say that we ought to align our actions with our path (which consists of our actions).

Thought for the day: what are the discrepancies in my life between what I desire and what I'm actually doing?