• Jun 4th, 2013 at 1:41 PM (CST)
• By PD
• Categories:

I was out walking later than normal, sometime around 9:00 am. My days can be jumbled and schedule manipulated by encounters with people who wish to chat or an impromtu counseling moment.

I meandered down a quiet suburban street and turned onto a busier thoroughfare heading back to the health club to stretch and clean up. Within moments I saw a figure of a woman in bright attire running towards me on the other side of the street. As they drew closer I recognized her as one of the persons we need to regularly "chase," to keep committed to God. These people have good intent, they mean to stay connected, but they lack the drive or the capacity to make regularity in worship and Scripture study a habit. This particular woman is quite fanatical about her physical fitness routine, but has not summoned the ability to apply the same determination with her worship.

She recognized me and with a sheepish smile said, "Hi, pastor Doug!" With a broad smile in return I said, jokingly, "You can't escape me!" Her response was like that of a child, "I know, I know." Yes, she does know, but does she know what a dangerous situation she is in, flirting with drifting away from faith and her Lord entirely?

The situation was put into vivid perspective when not five minutes later, as I turned onto yet another even busier four lane road I saw in the distance another woman who had pulled her car over to the shoulder of the road, put her hazard flashers on, got out of her car, ran across both lanes of her side of the road and ran up the road several hundred feet into what would have been oncoming traffic, had there been other vehicles at the time! I thought this was most peculiar behavior.

Once she reached a predetermined point in the roadway she stopped, stooped over and picked something up, then ran for the side of the road and the sidewalk carrying it. I was moving steadily toward her car the entire time and knew that we would meet as she was returning to it. As she neared her car she veered off into the reedy field. She emerged again without the object. I said, "Was that an animal?" Her reply, "A turtle! It was stuck on the road and couldn't get over the curb." I complemented her on her kindliness and wished her God's blessings.

Though seemingly unrelated, I had witnessed two very similar occurrences on my walk, one involving a turtle, the other a woman. Both were in jeopardy, both out of their element and in danger; the turtle obviously, the woman not so obviously. Yet, just as the turtle was highly likely to expire if left in it's predicament, so also this woman is likely to "expire," that is, die spiritually if left spinning her wheels in the fast lane of life. She needs to receive the assistance Christ offers by returning to worship and personal devotional time with Christ. She did not mean to run away from Jesus, but has found herself exposed to the danger of having her faith, and her eternal salvation, destroyed by continuing down the wrong road.

I wonder how many others like that woman are having a turtle on a highway existence, out of their element and in a state of high risk? Who knows if the turtle was aware of how close it was to being destroyed. Similarly, many people are unware of how much they are flirting with spiritual destruction. If the parable strikes close to home - if you are like the woman, then you need to repent and let the Spirit of God lead you back to the safety of an active relationship with Jesus Christ once again!