Sometimes we don’t pay attention to the conditions around us and end up paying a price for it.

This happened to me the other day when I was biking. I didn’t consider the conditions I was riding in and it cost me. 

We all have experienced unstable conditions when we are walking, driving or just enjoying the great outdoors.

When there is ice, or the possibility of black ice, we know we need to be careful walking along a sidewalk or driving on the road. Driving conditions can change with the weather, so often there are signs like “Slippery When Wet” that remind us to pay attention.

When a floor has been mopped in a store or a mall, there is often a “Caution” sign left behind to remind us to carefully make our way forward, paying attention to the conditions before us.

That is just common sense. But …

Sometimes we fail to pay attention to a sign or notice the conditions we are in and that is why we have TV shows like “Funniest Home Videos” or “Fail Army”. We laugh and/or cringe when someone falls down a slippery step and groceries go flying everywhere.

You have to know the conditions and be careful to proceed appropriately.

The other day when I was mountain biking, the trails were very wet from the previous day’s downpour. Not only was the trail itself slippery with puddles in strategic places, there were also exposed roots and rocks that became very treacherous.  

My friend went down a few times while negotiating a corner or two. 

For the most part, I was being careful.

A couple of times I felt my bike start to slide out from under me, but I was able to regain my balance and keep the wheels underneath me. I really had to pay attention and stay focussed on the conditions. 

It was going pretty well until I got near the end of the ride where there’s a large downhill section that is basically like a ski slope mogul run with high banked corners at every turn.

To start this downhill run, you drop off onto a banked turn made of wood. 

When I got there I forgot everything and just went after that bank. 

What I didn’t consider was that the wood would be all wet and slippery. … I went down hard, scraping my elbow and bruising my forearm, my palm and my leg. 

My shoulder and helmet hit the bank and I slid down right by a puddle of water at the bottom of the turn.

It took just a second or two of forgetting about the conditions to leave me shaking the cobwebs from my head and picking up all my paraphernalia that had gone flying.

I was okay to finish the ride, but I was a little achy the next day.

Here’s the thing: There are indications all around us that conditions are changing. The world is changing politically, and it’s changing environmentally as well. All these conditions are foretold in the Bible, written between two and four thousand years ago. It’s like a sign that says “Dangerous Road Ahead”. We would do well to check what the Bible says we should do to pay attention to the conditions. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What conditions do you need to pay more attention to right now? Leave your comments and questions below.

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