By Shewanda Riley
The pledge was very simple: “I pledge to make my car a No Phone Zone. Beginning right now, I will do my part to help put an end to distracted driving by committing to drive as responsibly as I can.” In the first month that talk show billionaire Oprah Winfrey announced her cell phone safety campaign in April 2010, over 300,000 people quickly signed the online pledge. The public service campaign was designed to raise awareness about the dangers of talking and texting while driving.
Talking on a cell phone while driving won’t prevent you from getting to your destination. It may make the trip seem like it goes faster but talking on a cell phone actually makes it riskier. In fact, most people believe they can talk on a cell phone and multi-task. Studies show that is not true. Our ability to fully concentrate on a task is significantly reduced by something as simple as answering a phone call while driving. For instance, you take your eyes off the road and, in some cases, one of your hands off the steering wheel, to answer the call. Even using new technology like voice commands on cell phones does not reduce the risk.
Distractions while driving are very much like distractions we have in our lives as Christians. There are some behaviors that we justify indulging in because “God knows my heart. He knows I’m weak when it comes to_____________ (fill in the blank).” Others are behaviors that we somehow don’t see as bad because they didn’t make it into the 10 commandments. Proverbs 6:16-19 explains the behaviors that “God hates, and one more that he loathes with a passion: eyes that are arrogant, a tongue that lies, hands that murder the innocent, a heart that hatches evil plots, feet that race down a wicked track, a mouth that lies under oath, a troublemaker in the family.” Looking at a few of these it’s easy to see why they are dangerous distractions in the lives of Christians.
For example, Proverbs 16:18 warns that “pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” There are many more scriptures that caution about thinking more highly of yourself and the impact it can have on your life. Next, lies can damage even the most morally sound reputation. Some of the recent news stories we’ve seen about young students being bullied and committing suicide show how lies told cause overwhelming emotional pain. Luke 6:45 addresses how “the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”
Like the No Phone Zone pledge, we should make a pledge to keep these and other distractions from our spiritual lives. These behaviors can hinder our desire and ability to develop an authentic relationship with God. More importantly, they can distract and even delay us as we strive to fulfill his purpose for our lives.