I live in Minnesota where stopping a car in a
hurry on a slippery road can be very challenging. Eventually you learn
(sometimes the hard way) not to drive too fast for road and weather conditions.
Driving in the winter is not the same as
driving in the summer. In fact driving in the winter is counterintuitive to how
you drive in the summer.
Driving too fast can cause you to slip and
slide (and potentially) lose control of your vehicle. Driving slower not only
gives you more control of your car but it also gives you more time to react
other drivers and road conditions.
Driving a vehicle that is equipped with
anti-lock braking systems (ABS) takes some of the stress out of this fun-filled
moment on the ice. ABS helps keep the wheels from skidding, enabling you steer
better while the vehicle slows down and actually stops the vehicle faster.
ABS brakes are an advanced braking system that
works with your regular brakes by automatically pumping them. The first time
you use them, you’ll notice some pulsating and possibly a growling sound. I am
told that is normal...and takes some getting used to; especially if you are my
age.
Actually, many drivers struggle with the idea
of letting the vehicle do what it's designed to do. It's counterintuitive to
take our foot off the brakes so that the vehicle can come to a stop. So we
struggle because not stepping on the brakes and over steering when we are
sliding seems like the wrong thing to do.
But seasoned drivers in this cold climate know
that slamming on your brakes can immediately put you in a skid. And yet, when
we hit ice (seen or unseen) and start to slide into the car in front of us or
through an intersection, we panic and step on the brakes with all of our
weight, even though we know we shouldn't.
The same is true for trying to go forward after
coming to a stop. It's also counterintuitive to take our foot off the gas
because we believe that stepping on the gas pedal will get us going faster.
But putting all of our weight on the gas pedal
makes us go slower and can cause the vehicle to spin out and get stuck in a
rut.
Simply put, to be successful, you have to do
the opposite of what you think and let the vehicle do what it's designed to do.
This lesson is true for our lives as well. The
best way to do what we are supposed to do at times can seem to be
counterintuitive. We are raised in a society that teaches and trains us to push
harder to get our breakthroughs.
We are taught that we are supposed to worry and
fret and struggle to meet our goals. It seems counterintuitive to not worry and
to trust.
The whole idea of standing still and pausing
when we are anxious grinds against our very fiber as Americans. And yet, if we
are honest, we have caused our share of emotional "rear-ends" as we
have collided into loved ones as we panicked and slammed on the brakes
If we're really honest, all we really do is
spin our wheels and are unable to get any real traction.
Perhaps you find yourself there today; stuck in
a snowbank of life; buried up to your wheels with no shovel wondering how to
get unstuck. You've tried everything with no success and you are willing to try
anything.
My word for you today is STOP!
Applying more weight to the brakes or gas pedal
is only going to get you stuck further. STOP! Help is on the way.
The children of Israel had to learn this lesson
when they were at the Red Sea (Exodus 14). They had just been freed from the
Egyptians and we're making tracks, when all of a sudden they came too an
impasse; THE RED SEA! Everything that they had pondered too do wasn't the
answer.
They
needed to simply STOP!
"And Moses said to the people, “Do not be
afraid. Standstill, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish
for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no
more forever." Exodus 14:13
Even though it was counterintuitive, they did
stop, standstill, and saw the deliverance of the LORD.
Time and time again, all throughout the Bible,
we read stories of situations where people have struggled to NOT apply the brakes
as they were sliding and NOT apply the gas as they were slipping. Stories where
they had to come to a place where they paused awhile until they KNEW that the
LORD was in control. It is a place that the LORD is calling us all to go to...
"Be still, and know that I am God; I will
be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" Psalm 46:10
It is a place that He longs for us to come to
be; to remain in.
"It is good that one should hope and wait
quietly. For the salvation of the Lord." Lamentations 3:26
It is a place of rest where we learn that He
wants to be the power to help us stop when we need to stop and to go when we
need to go. But He is the One who gets to decide. We simply allow Him to do
what He does best; take care of our lives.
"You will not need to fight in this
battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who
is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go
out against them, for the Lord is with you.” 2 Chronicles 20:17
Not sure where to start? Call 1-888-NEED-HIM
or drop me an email.
All
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas
Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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