When I turn onto one road near my home I’m greeted by a sign that welcomes me to a “speed camera corridor.”  Nice!  It’s like a game of cat and mouse.  WHERE is the camera THIS week?

Now the theory behind the cameras is that they’ll discourage drivers from dangerous speeding.  Which got me thinking that speeding can be dangerous in life, too, not just in driving.  It’s easy to speed through life, isn’t it?  With one eye on the calendar and another on the people around us, we can get swept up into a mad rush to wherever it is we’re rushing off to.  But just like with driving, if we go too fast, we face certain dangers.

• The danger of ignoring our physical health…and becoming poor stewards of the incredible body that God has entrusted to us.
• The danger of speeding past broken down people and relationships…and missing opportunities to share the HOPE of Christ in tangible ways.
• The danger of thinking that faster is better…and never actually enjoying the moment that we’re in because we’re rushing so fast for the moment in the future.
• The danger of relegating our spiritual life and health to an hour or two on Sunday…and living as though God was absent, silent or unconcerned about every other part of life.

The writer of Psalm 127 was onto something when he wrote this:

Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.  Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.  In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves.

Maybe when you step out of bed or step out of your house tomorrow, you may want to imagine that you’re stepping into a speed camera corridor for life.  And ease off the gas pedal just a little.  And begin to live a better life.

-Pastor Mark