Earlier this month I spent two days on the road with my two oldest children driving down the East Coast to take them back to college. Our car was packed full of everything they would need for the next few months. We had a great time talking and laughing about old times as we drove. The weather was great and somehow we managed to avoid all the road construction and rush hour traffic. We had no delays on the trip, with one exception. As we neared Charlotte, North Carolina, we came up on a long line of traffic due to a tractor trailer that had slid off the road. There was a fire truck and a rescue vehicle and a state trooper on the scene. The line of traffic had all shifted to the far lane to give the emergency vehicles room to work. As we approached the actual scene of the incident, a SUV came flying down the road in the empty lane, passing the line of traffic, narrowly avoiding the emergency vehicles, and just kept going. Apparently the driver was unconcerned about anything other than where he was headed in such a hurry.
Since I have had lots of quiet time behind the wheel since then to think about the incident, it occurred to me that many Christians are just like that SUV driver. People all around us have slid off the road of life and become mired in difficulty and trouble. Though some Christians have responded and have pulled over from their busy lives to help, many just go flying by. Far too many Christians are hurrying along at neck break speed doing their own thing. In the rush to do everything, we often pass by those who need help the most. Such spiritual speeders narrowly miss hurting concerned Christians who are responding to needs around them. Spiritual speeders cruise past other Christians who are at the very least slowing down to pray as they see needs around them.
I know I have been guilty of spiritual speeding far too often in my life. I suspect we all have been at certain points in our lives. But perhaps we need to learn to slow down and spend more time praying. Perhaps we need to pull over and spent time helping others. Perhaps we need to encourage ministers and lay leaders who are helping instead of putting them in greater danger through our reckless attitudes. Perhaps it is time to actually live out our Christianity instead of just talk about it. Maybe instead of just reading the story of the Good Samaritan in the Bible, maybe we should act it out in real life. We may find our own lives enriched when we slow down enough to pray about the needs we see around us and then put feet to those prayers by offering a helping hand to those around us.
Dr. Terry W. Dorsett holds a Masters in Religious Education and a Doctorate in Administration. He oversees the work of the Baptist denomination in Vermont. He is widely sought after as a speaker in area churches. His innovative and fresh approach makes him an effective communicator with young adults. He is the author of two books and a frequent contributor to Baptist Press. His blog may be found at http://www.terrydorsett.com/
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