RECKLESS DRIVING

Written By Angeline M Duran Santiago

What are some events that can and will take place when a driver is either intoxicated, texting, or driving extreme speeds for fun? Among a few images that may quickly pass through your mind, one might be a deadly accident where not only the driver is affected but those around him or her. The million tears, cries of, "I'm sorry!" and money in the world will not bring back the person that fatally passes away or ends up in the hospital bed in a coma. Money can provide a new car or fix the messed up, crashed up one, but nothing can truly erase the devastation of this moment when the "bang" took place and life as everyone involved knew it, was completely and forever changed.

 I use this example to make you think about  the way we live. We claim to be followers of Christ and disciples of the Lord. We boldly declare in social media that Jesus is Lord of our lives. Our outward lives are living testaments of our faith and our countless activities devoted to proving we "walk with the Lord". Yet, in our private moments, we fail to prove to ourselves that Christ is truly Lord in our lives. We live by two different standards and attempt to compromise and mix both God's ways with the ways of the world or our own thinking and feeling.

Marriages encounter that "bang" and "crash" moment when we, as the drivers of our lives, get in the car of our decisions and choices and make some pretty messed up choices. Just like the car crash, we don't take into consideration the lives that will be hit and destroyed because we are wreckless drivers, out of control with our wayward living and doing our own thing. We flirt. We look at what we shouldn't. We entertain conversations and moments in our lives that as children of the Most High should make us run. We take a second look, taste the moment, imagine the opportunity and even drive around a few times not caring who gets hit as we make a U turn back into sinful behavior.

Mercy. How many times do we take God's forgiveness and mercy for granted. Our minds tell us He loves us and will forgive us so we continue to step on the gas and go all crazy doing what our flesh craves for. Marriages are forever damaged. Relationships are eternally marred. Families are scarred because even when we apologize and move on, the scars are there. We live with the side effects of the bang up that took place. We live with the memories of when and how we were let down or someone we trusted took advantage of our kindness. We accept people into our families and don't know the number they're playing in our lives. They come in telling you one story, but they're after your marriage. Your husband or your wife becomes their prey. Jealous people come into your lives and target your children and all that they see in you.

Too many Christians are driving wrecklessly! We're living off of only Sunday sermons and not taking time to read God's word and pray on our own. We don't think about the Lord throughout the day. We rarely, if ever, meditate upon His word or seek His presence. We spend our days merely entertained with the political agendas of the moment but don't take the time to just ask for God's protection and strength. Our families are broken and hurting and we lean upon the prayers of others for the healing and restoration in our homes.

We forgive and forgive over and over again. But, the affects, just like the car crash, remain. An unfaithful moment can lead to a pregnancy or a disease. Addictions to porn or other inappropriate behaviors are very hard to break. Once we open the door to the demonic realm, they forever believe they have permission to bother, haunt and raid our minds, our bodies, homes and families. 

How do we stop this behavior of having to live with constantly forgiving our spouses or people in our lives for their reckless driving? It's time to realize that our behavior causes accidents and even death. Our careless mistakes can take a lifetime of counseling to help us just begin recovery. We want a testimony that says we messed up or tried the untouchable. Why? Why can't we just give our hearts to Christ and try to live our lives for Him. He gives us clear instructions and directions in His Word.

I believe that if we make it a habit, a habit and routine of the heart and mind to honor, please and live for God Almighty, we can take these same disciplines and honor, please and give our all to our husband, or wife, and our children and family. If we love God, truly love the Lord and try to live for the Lord, then that same path leads us to loving our families and thinking a hundred times before we let ourselves fall. I am not saying there won't be times we mess up or that it can't happen. But, what if we lived really trying to just love our husband or wife and honoring our God? Then, we wouldn't get into the car all intoxicated and uncaring because we would think of hurting our families and breaking God's heart.

It's tiresome to continue to live through the same patterns of dysfunction and impropriety. It's heartbreaking to see God restore and answer prayer to only end up all over again needing to be delivered, healed and restored. Let us stop with the secrets, the habits of darkness that call us away from God, and let us learn to be a family and a partnership that is one hundred percent surrendered to the Lord.