While driving on the interstate yesterday, I noticed a loaded tanker truck a little ahead of me. I observed how this heavy vehicle responded to the rises and dips in the roadway surface. Having grown up with a truck driving Dad, I knew all the bounces and sways were being muted before they got to the driver, because of a wonderful invention called the shock absorption system. Whether leaf springs, coils, struts, piston like dampers, tires, seat cushions, etc., all of these parts come together and soften the blows experienced where "the rubber meets the road." If you've ever ridden or driven a vehicle where these parts are malfunctioning or missing, you know they play a very large part in the occupants'comfort and in the driver's ability to maintain control. The heavier the load and the higher the speed, the rougher the ride, unless you have all the components of a good shock absorption system.

I thought of how that applies to us as believers. We're heading down life's road and encounter one of the innumerable dips or rises everyone deals with. We may be going slowly and not very heavily loaded, so we think, "Ah, not so bad! I don't really need any help." The next one in our path comes up, but this time we've got a few more burdens on us and the pace has picked up dramatically. All of a sudden we're bouncing crazily and struggling just to stay on the road. "Where's my shock absorption system? I know I had one! What's happened?"

Any of us that have driven a long time (or just pay attention) know that our vehicles require a certain amount of maintenance to keep the systems on them operating properly. We know we have to put gas and oil in, but do we ever check the tire pressure, tire tread, bounce check the "shocks," or do any of the other not so obvious little things to our cars? Someone who depends on the vehicle for their livelihood and/or their safety knows these types of things are extremely important at those crisis times when things start happening fast and the vehicle had better be able to respond to the commands it's given. I used to demonstrate to my Police students, when teaching pursuit and accident avoidance maneuvers, the difference in what they and their vehicle could do with a properly inflated tire and with one just a few pounds underinflated. The difference was, live through it with proper air pressure, or crash and burn without it. "Gee, who would of thought a few pounds of air could make that much difference?!" was often the reply.

Okay Ben, so where are you going with this? Well, many of us need to spend a little more maintenance time on our spirits. We've neglected; spending time in God's Word, spending time alone with God in worship, spending time talking to God, and spending time listening for God to speak. All of these things tune up our spiritual and emotional shock absorbers, as God by His Word and His Spirit soften the effects of life's blows. They enable us to "stay on the road" and not go careening off when we hit a pothole.

Have you checked your shock absorbers lately? Put any air in your tires recently? Take yourself by God’s shop. Let Him tune your system through reading His Word, prayer (talking and listening to Him), and meditation (thinking and focusing on Him and His Word). Then get back on the road and tell others about Him.

                       Ben