Bella Vista Church of Christ
LIFELINES
April 10, 2002 Jack English
Steer For The Curve Ahead
I recently had lunch with Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (along with 300 other civic and community leaders). I was interested in a story he told of a visit he made to Utah before the 2002 Winter Olympics. There he was given an opportunity to take a bobsled ride on the same track as the Olympians. After describing his terrified fear of traveling at sixty plus miles-per-hour in a glorified bullet, he shared the best piece of advice given to him by his high school ag instructor. He was told, "You must always steer for the curve ahead. It will be too late to steer for the curve you are in. Doing so will only result in a spectacular crash."
That piece of advice is not limited to bobsled drivers. That is wisdom for life, especially the Christian life. How many times have you tried to steer away from danger and temptation only to discover you were too late or too far into the curve? It is tempting to plan on making the decision how to respond to sin when faced with the temptation. Friend, that decision has to be made long before you arrive. You must steer for the curve ahead.
If you are putting yourself into temptation's way believing you can decide in the moment how to respond, you can expect to crash. The decision to not drink alcohol, not use drugs, not engage in sexual immorality all must be made long before faced with the temptation. Steer for the curve ahead.
Joseph's decision to resist the sexual advances of Potiphar"s wife was not made at the time she tempted him. That decision to resist evil had been made long before his brothers ever sold Joseph. He was steering for the curve ahead.
If I want to go hunting or fishing early the next morning, I cannot plan on waiting for the alarm clock to go off to decide whether I will get out of bed or not. That decision has to be made the night before. That is steering for the curve ahead.
The decision to come to worship Sunday morning can't be made consistently early Sunday morning. That decision must be made long before. That is steering for the curve ahead.
I have never driven a bobsled. But I have experienced some out of control moments that could have resulted in a tragic crash. Most crashes in bobsleds and life can be avoided if we 'steer for the curve ahead.'
Jack English
Fayetteville, Arkansas
