A bad knee has kept me from my beloved mountain
hikes for the past year or so (I hope to have that addressed in the near
future). While I was still able to get out, though, I carried my cell
phone with me. Getting a signal out in the wilds is usually a dicey
proposition, but in the event of accidents or getting lost it's nice to
have a backup plan. New technology has its benefits.
Finding a device that is simply a phone is quite a
challenge these days. Phones have become smart and can do lots of things
other than transmit voices over long distances. One popular feature of
most of these gadgets is the ability to play music. No signals are
needed to trek a forest trail while ear buds relay throbbing tunes from
your smart phone.
Such habits have led the National Park Service to
add to their list of contributing factors to park accidents. In addition
to the ageless dangers of darkness and wild animals comes this modern
hazard: inattention to surroundings. How can one hear the warning
rattles of a diamondback while wearing noise-canceling headphones? One
is more apt to stumble over tree roots if they are absorbed in their
text messaging.
Would you wear dark sunglasses to view a vivid
rainbow? If not, then why would you drown out the soothing sounds of
birds, babbling brooks and wind in the pines with man-made melodies?
But, aesthetic considerations aside, the National Park Service wants you
to know that technology can increase your odds of injury.
Watchfulness is a trait often urged by the writers
of God's word. We have an enemy who is as vicious as a lion and he
stalks us, wrote Peter; we should therefore "be sober, be
vigilant" (1 Peter 5:8). In all of my hiking experiences I've
encountered a bear only once (and that at a distance). Peter, however,
warns that a lion is tracking me, and he wants to make me his next meal.
Earlier in his letter Peter spoke of being
wide-eyed and alert: "Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be
sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to
you at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:13). Eugene Peterson
helps us to grasp the impact of this apostolic alarm in "The
Message": "So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be
totally ready ..."
One of the few righteous kings mentioned in the Old
Testament was Jehoshaphat. On one occasion, however, he was found in the
company of wicked King Ahab. After narrowly escaping death in an
ill-advised battle, Jehoshaphat was rebuked by a prophet of God:
"Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord?
Therefore the wrath of the Lord is upon you" (2 Chronicles 19:2).
It shouldn't have been difficult for Jehoshaphat to
see he was in ungodly territory; idolatry was prevalent in Ahab's reign.
Yet the righteous man appears to have been inattentive to his
surroundings and exposed himself to unnecessary temptation. He was
fortunate to escape.
When was the last time you checked your
surroundings? Are you in spiritually safe terrain? Have you heeded the
admonition of Paul: "Do not be deceived: 'Evil company corrupts
good habits'" (1 Corinthians 15:33). Dangers abound; let's be fully
alert as we travel.
Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the
Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us
if you'd like to discuss these ideas further.