Thursday, July 16, 2009

A Go-Kart, A Jr. High Driver, And An Aching Back

I have a bit of a chronic back problem. Nothing serious, or at least I don't think so. It's just a lower back pain that visits me from time to time. Although, I'm sure my over-sized gut doesn't help the problem, the real culprit is the result of a poor decision that I made years ago.

Have you ever made a choice that afterward you regretted big time? Ok, so that's a ridiculous question. The fact that we are breathing puts us all in that category. We all make mistakes in judgment from time to time. We all jump into things without giving it much thought only to realize mid way through we should have put more thought into it. Or, we fully weigh the consequences and jump in anyway. Whatever our method, the fact remains we've all been there and done that.

As for the decision I made years ago that's still affecting my back today? I was teaching at a school a few years back and was on my way home when I saw one of my jr. high students driving his new go-kart in a field. I stopped simply to watch him. He pulled up to where I was and wanted to take me for a ride. Reluctantly, I hopped on board. Now, the thought that flew through my mind at the speed of light was, "Tim, he's a jr. high student. Don't you think you should drive?" Of course, I pushed that thought aside and hopped into the passenger seat.

Its was fun at first. We went flying across the field. Wind blowing through our hair. It was great. Up until the moment. It seemed as if everything slowed down into slow motion. I looked over at him and he was grinning from ear to ear as if to say now watch this. Assuming he was about to show me some move he had perfected I braced myself. Then this jr. high student while at full throttle jerked the steering wheel as hard as he could, throwing me from the moving vehicle. Had that been all, I would have simply escaped with a few bumps and bruises. But, that wasn't all. Every part of me escaped the vehicle except my foot. Somehow my foot stayed in the go-kart a bit longer than the rest of me. Then the roll bars, which are meant to protect me, along with the entire go-kart, driver still in it, rolled over me. Remember the foot that was stuck in the go-kart? It finally came out after bending my back in a way God never intended for the human back to bend.

As I lay there with my face buried in the dirt and pain shooting through my body from head to toe, I remember thinking, "I think I broke my back." In order to make sure I was not completely paralyzed, I remember beginning to wiggle my fingers and toes. Thank God, everything worked. Yes, everything hurt, but at least everything worked.

Now, there were several mistakes I made that day. My first mistake was stopping my car. Had I just waved and continued on my way home, everything would have been fine. My second mistake was getting in the go-kart with a novice at the wheel. My final mistake was not having a camera on hand to video the event. Had I done that at least I would have had a chance to win money on America's Funniest Home Videos.

Life is full of choices. We're faced with them every day. Some of them are big, some of them are small and some of them are life altering. There are those of us who jump in before we think and then there are those who think so long we never jump. On that day several years ago, I jumped and then while I was lying on the ground in pain, I decided to think. Prior to getting in that go-kart, I would have never thought there was a possibility of feeling the results of that decision, years down the road. But, the truth is I do.

I know my story is a bit funny and truth is I get a lot of laughs when I tell it. And I would consider my choice that day to be a minor one. But throughout my life, as it is with everyone else, there are those choices I have had to make that are huge. The ones that we often wring our hands about and lay in bed contemplating. The ones that you just wish God, Himself, would speak audibly and tell you exactly what to do. Of course, if the truth be told we would probably haggle with Him a bit if He did. The truth is, I've never heard His audible voice and I think its safe to say if not all, most everyone else would say the same.

That being said, it doesn't mean God can't direct us. He can. When Jesus walked the earth, He made the statement that he doesn't do anything that He doesn't see the Father doing. Ok, so I know what your thinking, we can't hear God's voice audibly so how in the world are we going to see Him? We see Him in how Jesus lived His life. Jesus said if you've seen me, you've seen the Father. That's great, but how does that tell me whether or not to take a new job that's half-way across the country, right? Here's my point, Jesus lived His life by a set of principles. He lived His life by including God in every part of it. He didn't block out a part of His life for God, He made God the center of it. His life revolved around God. He lived His life in such a way that he put others first. All of His choices were made, remembering that there was a bigger picture than what He saw on any given day. Jesus came to show us the Father and His journey would include a cross. Everything about Him, moved Him in that direction. He lived His live on purpose, with purpose.

When we choose to live our lives consistent with the way He lived His, choices become easier. No, I didn't say we should all be headed for a cross, just that we should be headed somewhere. There are wonderful opportunities that come along in life, and if we're not careful we'll jump on board not realizing how far they are taking us from where we should be headed. I grew up thinking that open doors were God's way of directing us. Through the years I've discovered that open doors are often ways the Father tests us. God has a destiny, or destination for all of us. If we are headed nowhere, we'll flounder through life not getting anywhere. It is only at that point where we know our destination that our choices in life become easier. When we choose to live our life with purpose and we choose to live our lives by the principles that Jesus lived by, then choices become a breeze.

That being said, when it comes to getting into a go-kart with a jr. high student at the wheel....that just takes a little common sense.

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