Good morning and happy sweltering, sweating, scorching and sauna-like Saturday. Hope you plan to have some fun on the sun today since that is what you will get if you go outside. Today, many people will be paying homage to Willis Carrier, the inventor of the air conditioner. Sometimes we forget just how fortunate we are to have things like air conditioning, running water, ice cube makers, etc. We take most things for granted unless they stop working. Then we are devastated and wonder how we will possibly be able to survive in such rudimentary conditions. Perhaps, we should take a moment and reflect on the myriad of things we should be grateful for.
The other day I was driving down Johnson Drive and noticed an area where they were doing some construction. Since I was in road construction for 15 years, I always tend to check things out to see what they are working on. Fortunately, there is plenty of opportunity for that this summer since virtually every road in some areas has construction going on. FYI, a little bit of coordination between projects and road closures might be a good idea for traffic flow. Anyways, each time I would travel this section of Johnson Drive I would check out the progress as they graded out and placed a new stretch of 7- or 8-feet wide sidewalk. As I looked it over, one thing caught my attention. In the middle of a lengthy section of sidewalk there is a light pole right in the middle of it. It looks rather strange since they poured the brand-new concrete all around it. Can you imagine flying down the hill on Johnson Drive and running into a light pole in the middle of the path? The day after I first noticed it, I saw an SUV pulled over and the guy was out taking a picture of it. Why? Because it obviously doesn’t belong in the middle of the sidewalk. This is a brand-new path. It is not functional or safe with a pole there. If I had to guess, I would say that the utility company didn’t get there to relocate the pole prior to the contractor wanting to finish their part of the project. It is likely some coordination or scheduling issue. I am sure that all parties involved also know that the pole will have to be moved prior to the first lawsuit. Since it is an aluminum light pole, it typically has a base under the ground with four bolts that protrude upwards to mount the bottom plate of the pole to. It may be as simple as unbolting it, cutting the power wires, moving the pole, cutting the bolts flush with the concrete, and grouting any imperfections. Simple if you have a boom truck and an electrician that it. Nevertheless, for now it looks strange with it standing there in the middle of the new sidewalk.
As I thought about this it made me think about life in general. One, if we aren’t careful, we can get our schedules all messed up. It we don’t coordinate all of the meetings, activities and events that we commit to, we can end up with roadblocks in our weeks that we have to figure out how to maneuver around. Like many things, a little bit of planning can make a huge difference in the flow of our days and weeks. However, we must recognize that other people might not have their stuff coordinated as well. And, the realization that stuff happens, things don’t always go as planned. When that happens, you have to spend a little time adjusting and determining the best course of action to resolve the situation.
The second thing I thought of was that pole was out of place, it is an obvious danger. Running into it on a bicycle would not be a fun experience. But in the world we live in there are obvious dangers all around us. Everywhere you look, there are things available, accepted, promoted, and endorsed, that are not consistent with the Word of God. There is so much of it we can soon forget the danger of it all. It is like the old frog in the kettle illustration. Perhaps one good exercise on a hot day where you stay inside to enjoy the AC is to reflect on the things in your life. Evaluate to see if you are allowing anything into your life that is dangerous to your spiritual walk. Maybe it is something obvious or perhaps it is subtle. Whatever the case, consider if there are things that are detrimental to your walk with Christ. Is there anything that is dangerous or even destructive? Perhaps today is the day to make a change before become too serious or too late.
26 Carefully consider the pathfor your feet, and all your ways will be established.
27 Don’t turn to the right or to the left; keep your feet away from evil. (Proverbs 4:26-27)
21 Foolishness brings joy to one without sense, but a person with understanding walks a straight path. (Proverbs 15:21)
As Jesus taught in Matthew 7: 24 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. It collapsed with a great crash.” (Matthew 7:24-27)
From our neighborhoods to the nations,
Pastor Larry
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