Eyes to See
There’s an urgency in Jesus' command to be spiritually awake. That urgency should lead to intentionality.
I braced for impact. A woman ran a red light, seemingly oblivious to the stoplight at the intersection. I slammed on my brakes and went into a slide, believing I would T-bone her on her passenger side door.
She never looked in my direction. I waited for what felt like an eternity for the sickening sound of crunching metal. But it never came.
I must have missed her by an inch, and she kept going, never having any idea how close we came to serious injury (or worse).
This happened years ago, but I’ve been thinking about some of my near misses. Maybe it’s all the loss I’ve experienced this past year.
In the past twelve months, I’ve been run off the road twice. Once by an elderly woman who didn’t know I was in the lane next to her. And once by someone who didn’t bother to look before turning in front of me. In both cases, I had to climb the curb to avoid the collision.
A couple of years ago, a police car darted out in front of me in a neighborhood, nearly T-boning me.
Many years ago, I was enroute to Kansas City early in the morning before sunrise. I couldn’t believe my eyes as I passed a rest stop. Someone exited the rest stop and turned left, heading north in the southbound lanes. Thankfully, he or she pulled into the right lane, so I barely missed their car before dialing 911.
I’ve had several near misses with animals too. Once on Interstate 29 when I came upon a deer that was standing in my lane. Once on a highway near a small town when a raccoon and her family ran in front of me. And once on another highway near another small town when a (presumably) different raccoon ran in front of me and a passenger in my car.
I bet you have had your own near misses.
What do you do with all this? For me, after breathing a sigh of relief and getting my heartbeat under control, it’s made me think about being spiritually alert.
In Mark 13:32-33 (ESV), Jesus said this concerning his return, “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.”
Bible commentator Matthew Henry said this about being awake in this manner: “Take ye heed of every thing that would indispose you for your Master's coming, and would render your accounts perplexed, and your spirits so too; watch for his coming, that it may not at any time be a surprise to you, and pray for that grace which is necessary to qualify you for it, for ye know not when the time is; and you are concerned to be ready for that every day, which may come any day.”
The Greek word for awake in this verse means to be sleepless, attentive, ready, or to watch. The same word is used in three other verses. One of those verses is Hebrews 13:17 that tells believers to obey and submit to spiritual rulers for they are to keep watch over our souls.
In all of these cases, there’s an urgency in the command to be spiritually awake. That urgency should lead to intentionality, for we are easily distracted.
Jon Bloom described it this way in his article titled Distraction Can Cost You Everything: “The Christian life is an attentive life (Mark 13:37; Luke 21:36; Ephesians 6:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:6; 1 Peter 5:8). The Christian life is a hearing life (Mark 4:24; Luke 8:21; John 10:27; Romans 10:17; Hebrews 3:7–8). But attentive listening to Jesus does not come naturally. It must be cultivated and diligently guarded.”
September Spotlight
Now you can enjoy the complete Mercy Inn Series trilogy in one volume (e-book only).
Mercy Inn (Book 1): Three strangers travel on a lonesome Colorado highway at Christmastime and are forced to take shelter during a snowstorm at Mercy Inn. Will the two innkeepers, who just happen to be angels, be successful in helping Sarah, Brad, and Megan to face their respective roadblocks and set them on a new course? Or will fear, guilt, and pride win the day?
The Reunion (Book 2): When the Moffat High School class of 1986 holds its thirtieth reunion at Mercy Inn, the twelve former classmates get much more than an ‘80s-themed dance and a stroll down memory lane. Will the two innkeepers be able to guide Zoey, Tommy, and Matt through a maze of decisions and a life-threatening situation? Or will this reunion end in tragedy?
The Revelation (Book 3): After learning that Mercy Inn is set to host its final Christmas celebration, the two innkeepers face another big challenge. As the four guests struggle internally and with one another, the innkeepers' insights cause the guests to question the true identities of the innkeepers, shaking them to their core.
In addition to the complete trilogy, this volume also includes a Mercy Inn short story titled "Comeback" that fits perfectly between Books 1 and 2.
Here are some tidbits you might find interesting this week:
I’ve launched a new author website. I’d love for you to visit.
“Our vision is so limited we can hardly imagine a love that does not show itself in protection from suffering. The love of God is of a different nature altogether. It does not hate tragedy. It never denies reality. It stands in the very teeth of suffering. The love of God did not protect His own Son. The cross was the proof of His love – that He gave that Son, that He let Him go to Calvary’s cross, though ‘legions of angels’ might have rescued Him. He will not necessarily protect us - not from anything it takes to make us like His Son. A lot of hammering and chiseling and purifying by fire will have to go into the process.” -Elisabeth Elliot
Read this wonderful essay by Laura Kelly Fanucci this weekend: The unbelievable happiness of now. Here’s what you are in store for: “Cancer has become a catalyst for goodness, even happiness. How can I loathe and love this at once—let alone believe it?”
You’ll also want to make time to read this essay by S. E. Reid about, well … reading.
This article by Patrick Miller will make you think: Find Wisdom to Live in a Digital Age. Here’s a taste: “We need a substantive, perceptive analysis of how the internet is training Christians to live as citizens in a digital Babylon whose values, loves, character, and actions are antithetical to the way of the kingdom.”
When Lee isn’t writing essays, devotional books, or Christian fiction, he is a freelance editor, as well as a freelance journalist who has written hundreds of articles for various newspapers and magazines. He’s also a fan of NASCAR, baseball, tennis, books, movies and coffee shops.