Stop, Look and Listen

Three words were taught to me as a child to safeguard against injury or death.  Any time I approached the railroad crossing near our home I automatically stopped; got off my bicycle; looked both ways; and listened for oncoming trains.  When I knew it was safe I crossed to the other side.

In our trek through life we should practice the warnings learned in childhood.  The road that we are traveling has dangerous things that cross our path.  If we blindly disregard the senses of sight and hearing, we are apt to suffer because of our neglect.  The hurtful things that we meet can injure us spiritually and even bring death to our soul.

In 1969, I stopped my forward motion long enough to realize that I was in perilous danger.  My soul was heading for hell at a rapid pace.  I was barreling down the wide road to destruction with tunnel vision; careless; not looking for danger. 

I didn’t see the many fatal crashes that had already lined the shoulders of the broad road of those ahead of me that failed to stop, look and listen.  They didn’t see the warning signs along the way saying, DANGER AHEAD!  They just blew by them like they weren’t there and met their fate.

After many close calls of my own, something caught my eye up ahead and to the right.  It was a straight and narrow path that led away from the wide road that I was on.  It was the path of righteousness, which lead to heaven.  I stopped; looked at the path more closely; and listened to a voice calling my name and saying these words:  “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”  v.29 “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your soul.”  v.30 “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  (Matthew 11:28-30).  It was Jesus himself beckoning me to change direction.

Every person needs to stop what they are doing long enough to consider what road they are on; look to see if peace and joy is on this road; and listen to what their conscience is telling them to do.  It is the Holy Spirit speaking.  He is saying that in order to find happiness and fulfillment, every person must stop, look and listen, because their destiny depends on it.  Remember, the life you save will be your own.

(Matthew 7:13-14), “Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.”  v.14 “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

Written by,

Papa Boyd