First Baptist Church of Herndon

Full Stop

Linda Soller | Feb 10, 2020

There is this four-way stop I deal with at least twice a day. Generally, it works well, and the accidents are few. Lately I’ve noticed when traffic is light the other drivers seem to feel they don’t need to come to a full stop. They pull up at a slower speed, but never really stop. My driver’s education teacher called it a “rolling stop”. He said it’s basically a sign of internal focus and a lack of patience. I think you can guess why we were discussing it. I’ve also noticed a similar pattern in the way people live and practice their faith, myself included.

In life there are so many times when we are not in control. When we are in control, we feel empowered. That’s the internal focus. It’s the feeling of doing what you want for a change. I think that reaction is normal, but the associated impatience may be a problem. We say or do something hurtful because we didn’t pause to think first. I’m the chairman so … and the rest of the committee sits, mouths opened, surprised at what you just said. Our intentions may be harmless. Our actions may be problematic. Sound familiar?

In faith we say we turn things over to God, but too often we become impatient. If it’s something important, we may not rush ahead. Like a four-way stop with four cars. But when it doesn’t seem like a big deal, we may find ourselves impatient with God’s response. We may not really stop and wait for His direction.  There are even times when we may leave God out of our day, because we feel there’s no time to stop. 

I wish I could say I’ve never done any of those things, but I would be lying. As I grow older, and hopefully wiser, I’m discovering there is time to stop. Even when the traffic is light, the empowerment is great, our faith must still be the foundation.  Trust me, it’s worth coming to a full stop for God.

Be humble, be grateful, and be love in our world this week! :o) Linda