On our recent trip, we were heading down a lonely stretch of SH 89 from McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park on our way to Lassen Volcanic National Park. Although the scenery was great, there was not much of anything else available in the way of modern amenities, like cell service. All of a sudden, several warning lights lit up the instrument panel in the van. I pulled over, expecting the serpentine belt on the engine had broken. A quick look under the hood showed the belt still in place and the engine still running fine. At that point, I suspected the alternator wasn’t charging like it should. So we shut off all non-essential electrical gadgets (like the air conditioner on a 100 degree day) and headed back to the motel, some 80 miles away. Thankfully, we made it and a test at a local auto parts store confirmed that the alternator was, indeed, malfunctioning. A new one was purchased (along with several tools that match ones I already own back in the garage at home). The next morning, with a cooler engine and a lighter wallet, the alternator was replaced and we were back on the road.
While no one wants to see warning lights come on, they are there for a very important purpose -- to alert us to an issue that can potentially lead to even greater problems. In most cases, they get our attention before catastrophic engine damage occurs. Their message? Fix this before things get worse or you will regret it!
God provides warning lights on the instrument panel of our spiritual lives. These “check engine” lights illuminate when things aren’t working properly and, if not corrected, can lead to bigger problems. Like when partners in a marriage begin to mistreat one another. Harsh words, inattention, a “harmless” or “innocent” interaction with a third party -- things that don’t seem like a big deal at the start. But God’s warning light comes on and we ignore it. And, the next thing you know, a marriage is destroyed.
Pay attention to the warning lights!
God loves you!
Mike
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