Leave Your Headlight On

"Somewhere between the mid-1960’s and the mid-1990’s they stopped putting on/off switches on motorcycle headlights.  Not that I consider myself a shaper of such policy, but I think I might have had something to do with that particular change.  Or maybe it was just other people who did foolish things like the one I did one warm summer night.  I was in high school – that age where I imagined myself smarter than I really was...and indestructible.  I was out for a motorcycle ride with my best friend and fellow rider, Jerry.  It was a beautiful summer night for a ride – warm, calm, and a big full moon hung in the sky.  It lit up the countryside almost like day.  And that’s when the foolish idea came to me.  Why not switch off my headlight and ride by moonlight?  So that’s what I did.  It was magical!  Humming down a country road by the silver light of that moon was pretty cool.  And then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement at the side of the road.  Something was approaching the road from a field.  It was big and fast and it didn’t look like it was slowing down.  Instinctively I jumped on both the front and rear brakes hard.  And then a deer bounded out of the ditch right in front of me.  As I braced for impact I’m sure I saw that deer tuck his fanny in at the last second.  We barely missed each other.  The deer gets all the credit for that.  When I came to a stop, I shut the bike down and stood at the side of the road, still astride my motorcycle, shaking.  Eventually Jerry realized I wasn’t behind him and circled back to check.  As he pulled up next to me, he asked, “What happened to you?”  “Nothing!” I mumbled.  I was right, nothing happened.  But it sure could have.  It was absolute lunacy to ride by the light of the moon (pardon the pun) on a deer-infested country road.  They put headlights on motorcycles for a reason.  That I foolishly chose not to use mine put me in serious danger.  Needless to say, I never did that stupid thing again.

It occurs to me that this is a pretty good illustration for what the apostle Paul was talking about in 2 Peter 1:19 -  “…we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”  God gave us his Word – and went through a lot of effort in doing so.  He made sure we got it from the pens of the human penmen he chose by flawlessly and fully breathing into them what he wanted written so that all the truths and ideas the Bible contains are expressed in the very words he wanted them to use.  He managed to preserve it through the ages so that he could place it into our hands and homes and hearts.  His purpose?  God has in mind to safely lead us through life until we’ve finally come home to park safely in his garage and join him in his house.  The journey we are on is also filled with God’s blessings to enjoy.   Keep your eyes open and you’ll spot them.  Keep the headlight on and you’ll see more than you ever thought could be there.  It’s the Word and only the Word that enlightens us about God’s saving, redeeming, forgiving love in Christ.  It’s the Word and only the Word that reveals God’s gracious and tender and patient heart.  We would never see such things if God did not let his light shine in our hearts. 

But we need to remember that there’s a lot of stuff hiding in the ditches and roaming the fields of life that God doesn’t want us smacking into:  false teachings about God and our relationship with him, Satan’s lies and temptations, and even the world’s enticement that it’s “more fun” to ride with your headlight off.  The sinful nature is a really foolish and unskilled rider.  The sinful nature is reckless and self-indulgent and prefers not to think about the consequences of his/her actions.  The devil knows that, and he will never tire of trying to catch us riding with the headlight off.  We might survive a collision or two – God knows we do every day.  But to intentionally ride through life without God’s Word constantly leading and lighting the way is just asking for serious trouble…perhaps spiritually fatal trouble.  And if the church you go to has gotten wishy-washy about the light of the Word, it’s time to look for a new route home.

Open your Bible.  Get into the Word and stay there.  Leave your headlight on and just forget there is an on/off switch.  That little switch is nothing but trouble and nothing good ever comes from clicking it to the “off” position.  God wants you to get home safely, and so do I."