Up In Flames

Last week, while visiting my folks, my dad and I took a ride in the golf cart.

First, we smelled a funny, plastic-y kind of smell.  "What's that smell, Dad?"

"Not sure."  He keeps driving the golf cart, telling me about the houses we are passing.

"The smell is not going away, Dad..."

He keeps driving.

"Daddy, there's smoke!"

Now he stops the golf cart and we get out.

Dad pulls up the seat...and flames come out!

We send a passer-by to the gate house a few hundred feet away for the fire extinguisher.

By the time this gentleman returns, the cart is fully engulfed in flames, and we run to the gatehouse to have them call the fire department.

The fire department comes to put out the blaze, leaving only a charred pile of plastic and a bit of metal that has to be scraped from the road.

Five minutes...just five minutes...and the golf cart lay in ruins.

How equally quickly my attitude can go up in flames!

I can be sailing along, leaving the future to God, not feeling pressure and stress, holding firmly to God's hand...when out of the blue...

Flames!  Smoke!  Meltdown!

I have to ask myself...why?

My dad's fire was caused by a battery issue.  Could the cause of mine be the same?

Did I recharge with my daily dose of Godly encouragement through Bible reading and study?  Have I spent enough time on maintenance, seeking from the Lord what about me needs to change? 

In those instances of "fire," the answer is...probably not.

While I am not sure whether my dad's golf cart fire could be prevented, I am pretty sure my "fire" could have been.

I resolve to work harder at the PM (preventative maintenance) to avoid the fires...and their consequences of burning me and others.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. - 2 Timothy 2:15