Dashboard Lights

My son ran out of gas this week. As a new driver, he forgot the importance of paying attention to the warning lights on the dashboard. We were on our way home from church, cruising along merrily, when the car just stopped going and we had to pull over to the side and seek help. (Please feel free to give him a hard time about this if you see him!)

Have you ever ignored a warning sign from your body, soul or spirit? They are less obvious than a yellow light on our dashboard, but God created us with our own signals that let us know when something is wrong. It could be a sore throat, mental fatigue, discontent or a general grumpy attitude. Not sure about you, but I’ve displayed all these warning signs and more when my spiritual or emotional tank is running low. If we don’t pay attention to these warning signals, we can easily break down and need to seek help.

God, thank you for creating us with amazing bodies, souls and spirits. Help us pay attention to what they are telling us and to be intentional about filling our tanks. Give us grace, joy and peace as we celebrate Your Son’s birth.

At this time of year, it’s tempting to keep pushing ourselves to go, do, be, buy, bake, plan, party, visit, shop – all the holiday things. They are all good things, that have the potential to bring great joy to ourselves and our loved ones. But we also need to pay attention to our body, soul and spirit and make sure our tank is filled.

What fills your tank? Is it putting on some soft music while you gaze at your Christmas tree lights? Baking treats with your kids or grandkids? Meeting a friend for coffee? Getting up early and reading the Bible while the house is still quiet? Treating yourself to a massage? Opting to cater instead of cook? Going for a run or walk around the neighborhood while listening to your favorite podcast? Whatever it is, make it a priority this week so that you don’t run on empty.