We're back! 5,010 miles ... 176 gallons of gas ... 24 new hot rod T-shirts ... 8 hotel rooms ... 2 drivers ... 1 car ... more twists and turns than a roller coaster ... lots of memories ... and a few lessons learned. Here's the first one:
Speed kills!
Our car is tuned for speed, but my life is not. Sure, like many folks I love to jump in the fast lane, put the pedal to the metal and go, go, go. Literally and figuratively! I wasn't designed for that kind of unrelenting pace -- neither were you. That's why God says,
"Be still, and know that I am God."
Psalm 46:10
The truth of this Psalm came home on our vacation. It is difficult to "be still" while crusin' down the highway, passing slowpokes on two-lane country roads, navigating countless traffic changes, and hustling in and out of hotel rooms day after day -- all while on a relentless pace with a pack of motor heads to visit seven cities in seven days. Maybe all that vacation hurry is why my time with God seems to suffer when I travel.
Being still to know that God is God doesn't mean poking along in first gear all day, every day. But in the same way my ride needs the gas station, I need a daily refueling in the form of unhurried time with God. Without it, the speed of this twenty-first century life wreaks havoc on my soul.
Yes, speed does kill! When it comes to my relationship with God, speed wipes out my time in the Word, puts an end to my prayer, and inhibits my intimacy with God. So it's good to be home, to meet with God and get back to that routine of going slow before I go fast.
I know, its a pretty basic "rule of the road," but I struggle with it. How about you? Are you taking time to be still, to know that God is God? Today you're going to hit the road. Go slow before you go fast. It is the refueling you cannot do without!
Tomorrow I'll share another lesson from the road!
About our trip: Many of you signed up for updates and pictures of our time on The Hot Rod Power Tour. Thanks for following along. I'll be adding to this in the days ahead. In the meantime, if you want to see some of what we saw, just click here to visit CarSafari, my electronic scrapbook.
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Don't Ask The Fish? That's a funny name. Where did it come from? Click here to find out more.