Why You Can’t Afford to Stay as You Are

A couple of months ago I noticed the “maintenance” light come on in my car. That meant the oil and filter needed changing. I thought, Yeah, I’ll do that soon. Right.

(Photo by Photodune)

About a month went by and I thought: You know, I need to deal with that. I forgot again. It wasn’t until a couple weeks later I finally got it changed. I put it off because I’m a busy guy—and hey, oil and filters can always wait another day.

But then another warning light went off. This one was serious.

An exclamation point lit beside my tire pressure light. When that warning goes off—or worse, when I have a flat tire—I immediately stop and deal with it. I have to, or I don’t move forward for very long. Flats don’t roll.

Ignoring Those Filters and Flats (Just Stay as You Are)

Our lives are like oil filters and flats. But mostly like filters.

Most warning lights in our lives we can disregard for a while. In fact, they can blink so often that we come to see them as normal—and we ignore them. Until one day that area of our lives shuts down.

• The spouse makes a surprising confession.
• The son or daughter rebels.
• The doctor’s report brings grim news.

We know the warnings are real—but we assume there will always be more time to deal with the issue. In fact, we fully intend to deal with it.

Someday.

Warning Lights

Had I ignored the maintenance light for too long, the car would have stopped running and cost me far more than the oil change. I couldn’t afford NOT to deal with it.

God builds in warning lights in His Word and in the dashboards of our guilty consciences. We can’t afford to ignore them.

Here are a few that may need some maintenance:

• An estranged relationship
• Time with family
• A bad habit or addiction
• Prayer and Bible study
• Financial integrity
• Physical health (ouch)

Each of these is easy to ignore and put off. But with none of these can we afford a blow out.

(Photo by Gerlach. Own work, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Why You Can’t Afford to Stay as You Are

Take two minutes as you’re reading this post—and think through these 4 steps:

1. Choose two warning lights in your life you have habitually ignored. If that’s too much, just think of one right now. Got it in your mind?
2. Imagine how you would feel if the worst possible news occurred in this area. Think through the fallout that would follow. Don’t be afraid of the specifics. Say the bad news out loud. How would you feel?
3. Choose a day and time—right now—when you will address the issue, make the phone call, or begin a new pattern.
4. Explain to a friend why this is important to you and then, ask that friend to hold you accountable.

Changing a tire or a filter is easier than making time to do it.

But you really can’t afford to stay as you are. None of us can continue disregarding God’s warning lights. They are there because He loves us.

Tell me what you think: Do you typically deal with your warning lights immediately or stay as you are? To leave a comment, just click here.