Following Too Closely
Good morning, everyone. Have you ever woke up in the morning with such a feeling of moving with intention and purpose, and then all of a sudden, something abruptly happens that puts a temporary halt on your movement towards purpose? Well, that's what happened to me this morning. I was moving with intention. And on my way to work, I saw red and blue lights flashing in my rear-view window. I had no idea what I had done. I pulled over to the side of the road. The police officer asked me to get out. I saw a second police officer drive up. And all along, I'm thinking, “What in the heck did I do?” My speed seemed okay. I wasn't aware that there was anything else that I had done. So, I obliged and got out of the car when the officer asked me to. We stood and talked on the side of the road for some time. Finally, when I asked what I had done, he kindly said, “You were following too closely.” Following too closely? I don't think I had even remembered that this was something considered to be against the law. But in fact, it was. And not only was it against the law, but there were other people (police officers) looking to identify someone like me—who was following too closely this morning.
As the officer spoke to me he further explained his deeper reasoning for stopping me. According to him, in the city of Houston, they have at least 14 accidents a day due to people following so close to the car in front of them. This is due to the fact that when a car that is following too closely, needs to stop quickly (because the car in front of them has stopped suddenly), they are unable to react quickly which often leads to an accident.
Wow! That made me think about a lot in life this morning. Are you following someone too closely? Sometimes, if we're not careful, we will be followers instead of leaders. We will follow other people's agendas for our lives. We will follow what other people want us to do versus what we feel led to do in our hearts. We will follow in a certain direction because we are fearful to launch out on our own and see what we can accomplish. We are followers sometimes because of those that we are connected with, and we are so used to be led by them, that we have no idea that they may be leading us in a different direction than what we were created to go in. Following too closely can be a very dangerous thing, especially when you are following others that may be leading you in a direction away from your purpose.
Today's word is ‘NOT TO FOLLOW’. It's really a phrase. Or really, maybe the word should be ‘BE CAREFUL’. BE CAREFUL that you are not being a follower of those that are not leading you towards the purpose that God has for you. Sometimes, if we're not careful, we will find ourselves doing what everyone else does. We will find ourselves being a part of the pack, even when the pack may be leading us into a place that is uncomfortable and that we know is not a part of our destiny. Take inventory of your life. Don’t follow others to quickly especially when it is away from your God-given purpose. You don’t want to wake up one day and find that you have followed others so closely in life, that you are no longer able to make the necessary adjustment to redirecting your life—because it is too late and you no longer have the time.
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