Throw Caution to the Wind

I don’t know the full purpose or reason behind the following thoughts, but God does.

I must say, the longer I live in this area, the more crowded the roads become.  Danger seems to be everywhere.  Navigating a vehicle through busy streets without incident is becoming increasingly challenging.  The population continues to grow, bringing more young drivers who are excited to be on the road independently.  Though inexperienced, they are taking their place in the hustle and bustle of today’s traffic.

Inattentiveness behind the wheel is far more prevalent than when I was a young driver.  Talking on cell phones and texting while driving were not concerns in those days because the technology did not yet exist.  Whenever people leave the safety of their homes and travel the crowded streets on two or four wheels, caution should be exercised at all times.

Unfortunately, too many people venture out with tunnel vision and drive without common sense.  It is both noticeable and troubling to watch drivers take unnecessary risks and disregard the law without considering the potential consequences.  Undisciplined driving can have devastating results.  I often watch with bated breath as motorcyclists weave in and out of traffic with little regard for the calamities that may lie ahead.

All too often, drivers of every age change lanes abruptly, cut off other motorists, and then express their frustration with a raised finger because someone is traveling at the speed limit and slowing them down.  When I rode motorcycles, I seldom split lanes or tailgated other vehicles.  Weaving in and out of traffic was out of the question.  I did my best to ride sensibly and avoid unnecessary risks.  God gave me the good sense to avoid danger and refrain from doing things I might later regret.

Throwing caution to the wind was never in my nature.  I enjoyed riding my motorcycle, but I rode as though the people around me were oblivious to bikers.  Many drivers are distracted by their phones, food, or other activities.  It is also apparent when someone has consumed too much alcohol or is under the influence of mind-altering drugs.  A person cannot make sound, split-second decisions when impaired.  Their ability to control a vehicle is diminished as they swerve across the roadway, placing both themselves and others in danger.  Such individuals truly throw caution to the wind when they engage in behavior that risks injury or death.

When laws are broken, people who are controlled by harmful habits and vices often give little thought to the consequences that can occur in the blink of an eye.  The same principle applies when people disregard God’s laws.  When individuals insist on doing things their own way, poor choices can create serious problems.  If things go wrong, they may face the ultimate consequence at the end of life’s journey—eternal separation from God—because they chose to throw caution to the wind.

God’s laws are given for our protection, just as traffic laws are designed to protect drivers and pedestrians.  Rules safeguard us both physically and spiritually when we obey them.  When a person refuses to do so, it is as though they are walking through life in a stupor, blinded by tunnel vision.  Disregarding God’s commandments is much like driving under the influence of a mind-altering substance—it is dangerous and may prove spiritually fatal in the end.

Living according to God’s ordinances produces life rather than death.  Allowing Jesus Christ to become Lord and Savior through the new birth, and faithfully following God’s commandments, protects one’s soul.  I liken it to driving sensibly and obeying the rules of the road.  It saves lives.

The following Scripture in Matthew 7:13-14 gives sound guidance: “Enter through the narrow gate.  For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” (vs 14) “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

Written by,

Papa Boyd