Going Nowhere Fast

Image: siraphat / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 A lesson I have learned about time from using a GPS unit has spiritual as well as practical applications.

Someone once said that speed is the only truly modern sensation, and you don't have to look far to verify that statement.  The more modern a civilization, the faster we want to get places.  That's why we have made speed boats, high-speed trains, and supersonic jetliners.  Then, of course, let's not forget the automobile.

The first true automobile (a vehicle that could travel with passengers using its own power) was a steam-powered tricycle that traveled 2.25 miles (3.6 km) per hour.  Now we have modern production cars such as the Bugatti Veyron SS with a top speed of  267 mph (430 km/h).  Even the more recent emphasis on fuel economy has not deterred automakers from building electric race cars and hybrid supercars.  Even though we may not own such a speedy means of transportation, we often drive as though we do.  However, what do we actually accomplish when we go fast?  According to my experience with a GPS device, not much

The Illusion of Speed

For those of you unfamiliar with GPS (or Global Positioning System), GPS units receive signals from multiple satellites circling the planet then use some fancy math to determine the location and speed of the receiver.  A key element in automotive GPS units is the Arrival Time feature.  This feature uses information on the speed limits of the roads that you will travel to get from Point A to Point B, and gives a time when you will arrive at your final destination.  This time can be earlier or later depending on how fast or how slow you travel.  I discovered that in the only reliable way to make the arrival time earlier is to leave earlier, going faster makes little or no positive difference. 

Sure by going 10 or even 20 mph(km/h) faster you may gain a couple of minutes on your arrival time, but that gain quickly evaporates at the first red light, fuel stop, or encounter with law enforcement.  Aside from the potential criminal penalties, going faster burns more fuel and therefore increases the amount of money that literally goes up in flames (and you don't avoid that if you drive an all-electric car given this nation's penchant for using coal-burning power plants).  So by driving fast you feel as though you are accomplishing something, but that accomplishment is an illusion.  This principle translates well into the area of spirituality, but then the losses are much more serious.

Spiritual Speedsters

People, especially devout Christians, can be fooled into thinking that they need to make rapid spiritual progress in order to be a successful believer, but that couldn't be further from the truth.  The Bible often speaks about endurance and patience being positive traits.  The apostle John in the book of Revelation goes so far as to combine the two traits into the term "patient endurance"  In Jesus' parable of the sower, the seed that sprouted up quickly ends up dying off quickly representing believers who cannot endure persecution.


Rapid spiritual growth feels good.  We feel as though we are getting somewhere, that we are not being left behind.  However, like speeding in a car, it's an illusion.  This growth comes at a price.  We become unable to deal with unexpected troubles, and probably even more dangerous, we take the risk of becoming spiritually proud.  We tend to look down upon those who have not been growing so quickly, and we add condemnation to our superficial spirituality.  Our lives can quickly spiral out of control and if we come to our senses, it is only because we have hit rock bottom.

So do us all a favor and slow down.  Trust me, you will be glad that you did.


Have you had times that you paid the price for going too fast?  Tell us your story.

[Featured Post] Remembering September 11, 2001

This featured post comes from Ted N.C. Wilson, president of the Seventh-day Adventist world church  as posted on his new blog Presidential Perspectives.

Remembering September 11, 2001

 

On September 11, I was in a committee at the General Conference when I received word about the unfolding tragic events in New York City and Washington. I remember having a strange surreal feeling that this was not really happening and then a feeling of sympathy and deep sadness for those affected. We, of course, prayed for the thousands of people affected by this tragedy.

In the 1970s, I spent about seven years serving the church and the people of the metropolitan New York area. While living and working there, I learned to respect and care for the people of that great region and their strong resiliency to challenging problems. When I heard about the attacks, I was reminded that life is very fragile and that it is important that we maintain a close connection with Christ on a daily basis as we share with others our hope for a better world when the great controversy between Christ and Satan is ended at Christ's soon second coming.

I am thankful for the manner in which the Seventh-day Adventist Church was able to assist and minister to so many individuals in New York and Washington D.C. during that difficult time. It is a blessing that this ministry continues in those two important cities and in many other places.

This week marks the 10-year anniversary of that tragedy. Many of us have been forever changed by the pain and suffering we witnessed that day, by the stories we heard and by our own personal loss.

As I look at our church 10 years later, I see a group of dedicated believers who are beacons of peace and justice to the world around them. I see a community of faith alleviating pain and suffering now, but pointing to an earth made new. Together, we long for the day when loss of human life will be a distant memory when Christ puts an end to death, tears and suffering. His second coming and then ultimately the new earth He will create will bring to an end the suffering and sin of this world as the book of Revelation tells us.

On September 11, 2001, we were reminded that our world is a battlefield. Forces of good and evil are at war all around us, and innocent lives are lost. But we know that the hurt will end. Our hope is in our loving God and Savior, who shares our pain and has the solution for the problems we face. What a privilege to read about His plan of salvation in the Bible, the authoritative Word of God.

Whatever the battle -- and don't be discouraged if it appears that evil seems to gain the advantage for the moment -- let us remember that at the end God "will swallow up death for all time, and the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces" (Isaiah 25:8).

My hope is that we will continue to be a church that unites in showing God's love to friends and neighbors, in times of joy as well as adversity. It's my hope that amid the memory of tragedy, we are sharing a message of hope as we look forward to Christ's soon return.

Let us all be encouraged and comforted in believing what God said in Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Let's renew our personal and church efforts to share that hope with others in words and Christian service to God's glory.

[Movie Review] Soul Surfer

Photo courtesy movieposter.com

Every once in a while I discover a movie that is worth my time and money.  Soul Surfer is one of those movies.

To state the obvious, I have decided to add movie reviews to this blog.  I will not have very many of them because I don't watch a lot of movies (anymore), and even fewer of them interest me enough to write about them afterwards.  Therefore, you will find no rating system of any kind (no stars, thumbs, or tomatoes).  I figure why promote bad movies when the good ones often don't get the attention they deserve, but enough of that, on to the review.

I have lived in southern California for a couple of years, and even more recently have moved to within a relatively short distance of the Pacific.  I have become acquainted with a number of people who have surfed at least once, some who surf occasionally, and a couple who surf a lot (they met while surfing, and were married on the beach).  With all this in mind, when I saw Soul Surfer advertised in a catalog and in movie vending machines (I missed it when it came out in theaters) it caught my attention.  Well that, and the fact that the movie involves someone who survived a shark attack.

The movie retells the true story of Bethany Hamilton, a rising amateur surfer who had her left arm radically amputated by a shark while surfing off the coast of Hawaii.  I vaguely remember hearing about Bethany (or at least seeing her picture) in the past but never read her story or her book.  This lack of knowledge may have helped me enjoy the movie more because then everything was fresh (well almost everything).

The movie does a good job of portraying the Christian aspects of the story, not going too far in either direction.  I've seen too many Christian-themed movies where the religious aspect seems tacked on or the Christian characters seem, well, non-human.  Soul Surfer portrays the Hamilton family and those connected with them as real people, not as plastic saints or bumbling buffoons.  They get angry, frustrated, sad, and don't have all the answers, but they move forward in faith knowing that something good can come out of something terrible.  Best of all, this movie does not exist to sell merchandise.  (A couple Christian movies come to mind that fit that category.  More about that in the future.)

The movie does fall into one trap, howbeit a small one.  The people who made the movie apparently go out of their way to contrast Bethany's main surfing rival to Bethany and her friend, Alana.  Bethany and Alana have long blonde hair and cheerfully walk around in bright colors while her rival has short dark hair, wears black, and only smiles for the cameras.  This could have been done differently, but didn't detract from the main theme of the movie.

Overall, this movie has something that could appeal to anyone, especially those who have dealt, or currently deal with, some sort of disability.  This movie may not sweep you off your feet, but after you watch it, you'll most likely will look at your own difficulties in a different light.