Pay Attention

In a very swift moment of inattention, you can do something really dumb. I am willing to bet we could make a list a mile long of things we did when we just were not attentive. A knife sliced through a finger. A key was locked in the car. A door was left unlocked. The iron was left on. A juicy tidbit of gossip escapes. A word that seldom disgraces your lips finds its way to audio. A wrong turn in the city. A kiss became an act of passion. The list is endless. Isn't it amazing that the one moment of inattention can lead to a brief but significant mistake? This mistake could have long-running effects. I think that many of the things that haunt us personally are the result of the moment when we caught ourselves by surprise. We're not alone. Noah, unexpectedly, got drunk after his rescue via the ark. Abraham said of his wife, "She's my sister." David said, "Bring Bathsheba to me." Peter said, "I don't know him," and began to curse. Ananias said to Sapphira, "I have a really cool idea..." Paul said, "John Mark is unreliable. I won't travel with him." A Corinthian said, "I am of Cephas". And me. My list is very long. And unfortunately, it stays pretty current. Abba help us to always pay attention ... for the enemy stands ready to strike when we let our guard down. Amen.

"We must pay more careful attention, therefore,

to what we have heard,

so that we do not drift away"

[Hebrews 2:1]