TEXTING WHILE DRIVING

I was driving by a church building the other day and saw an interesting statement on their marquee. It said, “Honk if you love Jesus; text and drive if you want to go meet Him.” I found this statement somewhat funny, but I also knew how true it is. According to statistics, texting and driving accounted for about 16,000 deaths from 2001-2007 (Yahoo News). Deaths involving phones went up 28% between 2005-2008 (ibid.), and I am sure these percentages have gone up even more. While this is not a soapbox of mine, I definitely see the importance of it.

While we are all probably very aware of the dangers of texting and cell phone use while driving, but why is this so dangerous? The problem is, the person texting while driving is not watching the road and definitely cannot react as fast. According to statistics, a person texting reacted about a second slower than even an intoxicated person. Compared to normal reaction time, for a person traveling 35 mph, this would mean traveling an extra 41 feet before reacting and stopping (MSN Auto). There is no telling what may happen in that distance, and that is only at 35 mph. For many people, that has been the difference between safety and a very serious car accident. So why is it so dangerous? It’s a distraction.

Distractions are incredibly dangerous. They cause us to not pay attention. They cause us to lose our focus. They can bring down our guard. They can result in serious disaster. This not only happens physically, it also happens spiritually. As we are traveling along as Christians, there are so many distractions. Just like driving, these distractions can cause us to lose our focus on Christ, to bring down our guard against sin, and most certainly will end in disaster if not corrected.

Back during the time of Jesus, Martha was dealing with distractions in her life as well. Luke 10:40-41 states, “But Martha was distracted with all her preparations…But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things.'” Martha was distracted by her worries. She should have been focusing on Christ, but she was too worried and bothered about so many other insignificant things.

Like Martha, we too can be distracted by our worries and many other insignificant details. It is important to remember that, compared to Christ, any of these distractions are simply insignificant. If we are not careful, we too can be distracted and ultimately choked out by the worries, riches, and other distractions of the world (Matthew 13:19). Texting while driving is not only dangerous, but it is now against the law. However, something that is far more serious is getting distracted spiritually, and this is against God’s law. Let’s not only stay focused while we are driving, but more importantly let’s make sure we stay focused spiritually. Rephrasing the beginning quote, “Say ‘Amen’ if you love Jesus; get distracted by the world if you don’t want to meet Him.”

–Brett Petrillo

150,000. This number may not mean much to some, but it has significant meaning to me. See, this number reminds me of a sweet old couple I grew up with. As a kid, the wife was the sweet lady who always had a piece of candy tucked away for me in her purse. The husband would always take time to come talk to me. I remember how he would softly pinch my shoulder blades and say, “Your wings are really coming in!” They were active and vibrant in the church, truly a couple who loved the Lord.

So, why does this number remind me of them? Shortly before they passed away, this sweet couple decided to give me their car. It happened at a time when I was hurting for a vehicle before I started school at Bear Valley. I received their 1991 Honda Accord in pristine condition with a measly 50,000 miles on it.

Just the other day, I hit the 150,000 mile mark on this car. Which means I’ve put 100,000 miles on it. So for me, the number 150,000 brings back fond memories of this sweet couple. It makes me think their Christian love, generosity, and selflessness. It reminds me of their kindness and good Christian example. It also reminds me of a passage of Scripture:

“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Galatians 6:9-10).

It’s wonderful to have people in the church, like this sweet couple, who are so generous and helpful to other members in the church. They deserve our love and appreciation. We need more people like this.

Let’s strive to live the words of Galatians 6:9-10. No, we aren’t required to give away our cars, though there is no limit to what we could do. Let’s simply be looking for opportunities, even small ones, where we can do good to others, especially Christians!

P.S. The names of this sweet couple were Cliff & Louise Phillips.

Brett Petrillo

An old sailor frequently got lost at sea. Somehow his friends always managed to track him down. Fed up with his terrible navigation skills, his friends gave him a compass and insisted he use it. The next time he went out to sea he brought the compass with him. Inevitably, he became lost once again. Just like usual, his friends somehow found him and rescued him. Annoyed and frustrated, his friends asked, “Why didn’t you use the compass we gave you? You could have saved us a lot of trouble!” The old sailor responded, “I didn’t dare to! I wanted to go north, but as hard as I tried to make the needle aim in that direction, it just kept on pointing southeast.” This old sailor was positive he knew which way was north. He was so sure of his sense of direction that when the compass didn’t agree with him, he stubbornly tossed it aside despite its pinpoint accuracy.

Maybe it’s because of pride or the fear of embarrassment, but we don’t like to admit when we are lost. We don’t like to show weakness and vulnerability. Some men have even earned reputations for their willful refusal to stop and ask for directions. Most people who won’t ask for directions are stubborn. They don’t like to be wrong and asking for directions is a blatant confession of mistakes.

Most people are stubborn to some degree. Strangely, this obstinate attitude seems to multiply when people are spiritually lost. For some reason, people blatantly refuse to admit their error on topics like religion and politics. While getting lost is usually silly and harmless, the most serious situation is when someone is spiritually lost.

The reason the Bible was given to us was so we could find out how to get to heaven. As a result, God included in this book everything, yes every single thing, we need for this life and for godliness (2 Peter 1:3). According to 2 Timothy 3:16-17, the Bible we have today came directly from God and was given to us “for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

To put it simply, the Bible must be the compass for our lives. It determines how a person is saved (1 Peter 3:21; Acts 2:38), when a person is lost (Ephesians 2:1f; 1 John 1:5-10), and how to get to heaven (Revelation 2:10; Matthew 7:21-23). The Bible is the perfect set of direction, the best map, and the ultimate compass.

Let’s stop being like the old sailor. If we’re going one direction and the Bible is pointing us in another, it’s time to change course!

Brett Petrillo