Spatial Awareness & Context

About a week ago when Dom and I were out on a ride, we had an experience with three tweens on bicycles.

We were in a residential area but still on a main road that had traffic.  These three young people were in the opposing lane of traffic right in front of a blind curve.  This alone would be dangerous for them, however, one of the three decided to move over into our lane.  Now they were all over the road.  Dom had passed them without any problems and I was coming through.  That was when one young girl decided it was time for her to casually go in front of me without looking.  I mean... I'm making a lot of noise!  Anyway, I slowed down and she decided to go back into the opposing lane just as casually.  I got past them without any issues but it left me shaking my head.

Now I know I shouldn't be the one to talk about spatial awareness...I am known to cut off people in grocery stores...but there's a limit.  These tweens had two problems.  They didn't have spatial awareness of what was around them, but they also didn't understand or blatantly refused to follow the context that they were in, that being the rules of the road.  Sadly, they probably will continue to have issues with these two problems until someone gets hurt.

In the same vein, we as Christians need to be spatially aware and understand the context we are in or our faith will be hurt.  We need to be spatially aware of the dangers around us that would hinder our faith or even cause us to sin.  Just blindly going where we please shows we don't respect the Will of God or the Word of God and will cause us to be on a collision course with something that could cause us pain.  Just because we don't see it coming doesn't mean we are safe.  God gave us His Word for a reason and we shouldn't ignore it.

We also need to understand the context of our life, that we are Sons and Daughters of God that are here for His purposes in a world that doesn't accept God's truths.  We don't go to the world for help as there isn't any help there.  We go to Jesus, because He has given us a way to be saved and provided promises for us to live by that give us a full picture of who we are in Him.  Acts 4:11-12 says "This Jesus is the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved."  If the world rejects Jesus, that means it has also rejected the only way to be saved and doesn't understand the context of life.

Are you spatially aware of the dangers and pitfalls around you?  How do you stay aware and awake as you go through your day?  Do you see a difference in how you live from understanding Jesus' sacrifice for you?  How does knowing the full picture help you?

Philippians 2:12-16
"Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.  Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life"