Gauges

Today I heard a story on the radio. The guy was talking about how he kinda thought there might be something wrong with his car, but he was running late, so he kept driving anyway. Pretty soon, his car kept slowing down, even though his foot stayed on the pedal. Then, smoke started billowing from the hood. He got out and ran the opposite direction from his car. Fortunately, a mechanic was driving by and said "Pop your hood!" Someone else driving by happened to have a fire extinguisher in their vehicle, and eventually the fire was put out. The really funny part of the story was this guy's car that was "going down in a blaze of glory," as he put it, was his Chevy Blazer! Ha!
The point was made though --- how often do we run around pushing ourselves to the point of going down in flames? Running late, pushing up against deadlines, not taking time to pause and enjoy the things that refresh and bring life....we begin to slow down, shut down, even though we are trying with all our might to keep our "foot on the pedal."

So a couple things here:

1. Slow down and check your gauges. We all have internal gauges or cues that tell us how we are doing. If we are taking time to listen we can save ourselves a lot of internal damage. Journaling is one of my favorite ways to slow down and process. I also think it's helpful for me to read my Bible and pray - it refocuses my mind and "refuels" me.


2. Who are you hanging around? We all need people in our lives to help us. Just like the man needed the mechanic and the dude with the fire extinguisher, we need friends who will tell us when we should pull over, when we might need "a repair," or to be there for us when we "crash and burn." These people need to be people who love you and are willing to speak truth in a loving and gracious manner to you.

So while you are journeying (is that a word?) through life - make sure you are checking your gauges and surrounding yourself with a community of supportive people. These two things will help you. They won't prevent all roadside emergencies, but they will indeed help!