“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”
Psalm 139:14
Who’s familiar with a flashing “check engine” light? All types of equipment have these light, including trains, planes and vehicles. I’m sadly reminded of all the plane crashes and disappearances we’ve witnessed as of late. While I don’t know if any warning lights were faulty or if it was negligence, it makes one wonder.
My husband bought himself a work truck a couple years ago. It was a used, 2000-something, Ford F150. It was nice enough that we were going to make it our main driver…and we got it at a good price. Win. Win.
Only, at the time we didn’t realize there were some unseen conditions we weren’t aware of which would be game changers for our bank account.
Almost as soon as we got the truck bought, there was a “noise” that became quite noticeable. In hindsight, I wish we would’ve returned it and gotten our money back immediately. I don’t know how you would’ve responded to the “noise”, but my feminine, sixth sense was suddenly on high alert. My husband got the problem fixed the next week, with the help of our mechanic, and all was well again.
We thought!
Since then, we’ve come to know that the previous owners had siliconed leaks and cracks to make things seem top-notch when they were far from it. Can I just say I don’t think I would ever be okay doing that to someone! Anyhow, to add to that nonsense, they had taken out the instrument cluster too. What?!
Obviously there were some issues causing lights to be activated and they didn’t want to draw attention to it. Smooth move! Have you ever purchased a vehicle and thought to check for an instrument cluster? Seriously!
I was thinking about this instrument cluster and my emotions came to mind.
Our cars are installed with these clusters to relate to us important details while driving.
Low on oil? Light!
Temperature too high? Light!
Our emotions work in the same type of way. They aren’t supposed to rule us, but we desperately need them in our lives. God gave them to us on purpose. They make up the instrument cluster of our lives and we rely upon them to warn us that something requires our attention.
To make a long story shorter, one day my hubby’s truck just came to a sputtering stop on the side of the highway. What went wrong? We don’t really know - we didn’t have any warnings. There were no indicators of trouble brewing, the old truck just sputtered, stalled and had to be towed. We ended up sinking an extra $1000 into this lemon. Praise the Lord, God is good!!!
You see, without our God-given emotions, we might find ourselves in the same sort of situation.
When our emotions are activated, it’s like having a flashing light indicating the need for our attention.
The light isn’t flashing so we can react; it’s flashing so we may respond responsibly and positively to its warning.
A warning light advises us to investigate and take the appropriate action. You see, we need our emotions; they aren’t bad. They are just there to get our attention.
I wonder how often we ignore their warnings though? Do we just continue on acting as if God didn’t design us with this important piece of equipment installed? Do we stop and tend to the underlying issue causing the warning lights to flash or do we wait until we’re broken down, on the side of the road of life, needing to be towed?
It’s a simple thought, but one I’m in the process of applying in my life more and wanted to share with you.
You may not know all about vehicles and their warning lights, but I encourage you today to notice your emotions and what they are telling you. How many lives could’ve been spared if someone had simply noticed the warning lights and took action? How many boughts of depression and anxiety could have been prevented if we would act before it’s too late? How many arguments and falling outs could we maneuver away from if we realized where our unchecked anger could lead?
Again, it’s a simple parallel, but an important one. Our Creator gave us an instrument cluster called emotions - for our benefit and betterment. It’s there, we just need pay attention to the warning lights. We have a choice.
Somebody change the oil. Check your temperature gauge, put on your seatbelt, gas up, or air up your tires…whatever the need, heed the warning. Vehicles, machinery, trains, and planes have them…and so do we.
Oftentimes , a simple fix at the beginning can minimize a costly repair later.
What’s that flashing light telling us to tend to?
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