The Pace Setter
By Lisa Boyer
“Test everything. Hold on to the good.”
I Thessalonians 5:21
For years, there’s been a clock hanging on my bathroom wall. That clock has done more than just keep time; it has set my pace in the morning. While getting ready for work, I would keep one eye on that clock. Based on the time, I’d put more or less curls in my hair and more or less makeup on my face; all in an effort to get to work on time. But in recent years, a problem has developed. The clock is no longer accurate…more often than not, it’s running slow and more often than not, I’m running late.
Needless to say, the clock used to work perfectly. And by the time it started running slow, I already had a habit of adjusting my routine based on what the clock said. Unfortunately, that didn’t change…even when I knew the clock was unreliable.
The clock clearly had too much influence and needed to be replaced. But instead of replacing the clock, I created a backup plan. I set an alarm on my cell phone that would go off 10 minutes before I needed to leave for work, but not even that worked. By the time the alarm went off, it was often too late to adjust my schedule enough. There were days I went to work with little or no makeup and yes, occasionally uncurled hair!
The situation with my clock has highlighted the fact that even though I am pretty good at recognizing bad influences and keeping them out of my life, I may not be as quick to recognize good influences that have gone bad (the changes can be so subtle). And then I wonder, when I do recognize a bad influence, how long will I keep it in my life trying to work around its effects rather than get rid of it?
I’ve taken a couple of important steps recently. First, I have replaced the clock in my bathroom with one that keeps time perfectly. Second, I’ve taken a close look at the other influences in my life…friends, TV shows, music, reading material, etc…to make sure they are having a positive impact on my life and not a negative one.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Are there influences in your life setting a pace that you are uncomfortable with as a child of God? Today, will you prayerfully consider what changes you should make to reduce their influence on you?
2. Will you take a moment to consider what type of an influence you are on the lives of those around you? Are you the influence you want to be in the lives of others?
FURTHER READING:
Galatians 5:7; I Timothy 6:11-12; I Kings 11:1-6
Lisa has been married to Ted for 19 years and they have two teenage sons. She is a leader for a Junior High girls’ small group at Oakwood Church.
