The lazy person claims, ‘There’s a lion out there!  If I go outside, I might be killed!’

(Proverb 22:13, NLT)

A state trooper pulled over a blonde on a lonely back road and asked, “Ma’am, is there a reason why you’re weaving all over the road?”

The woman let out a sigh of relief. “Oh officer, thank goodness you’re here!  I almost had a terrible accident. I looked up and there was a tree right in front of me. So, I swerved to the left, and there was another tree!  Then I swerved to the right, and once again, another tree right in front of me!”

The officer leaned in, looked at her rear-view mirror, and calmly explained, “Ma’am… that’s your air freshener.”

Like that driver, many of us spend our lives swerving back and forth trying to avoid “obstacles” that aren’t even real.  We worry ourselves sick over things that never materialize.  We lose sleep thinking about worst-case scenarios.  We hesitate to take action, not because of actual danger, but because of imagined fears: “What will they say?  What if I fail?  What if something goes wrong?”

The book of Proverbs speaks to this tendency: “The lazy person claims, ‘There’s a lion out there!  If I go outside, I might be killed!’” (Proverbs 22:13 NIV).  Was there really a lion outside?  No, but it makes a convenient excuse to stay home and do nothing.  Excuses are often our way of dodging imaginary obstacles.

The truth is, many of the barriers that keep us from moving forward in faith aren’t nearly as big as we make them out to be. Sometimes they’re like that dangling air freshener, distractions that only seem dangerous. Meanwhile, opportunities pass us by and we fail to obey because we’re too busy dodging fears that never come true.

Is there something you’ve been avoiding because it feels too risky, too intimidating, or too uncertain?  Take another look. The obstacle in your way may not be as real as you think. It might just be your “air freshener.”

Prayer: Father, forgive us for those times we have allowed imaginary fears to keep us from walking boldly in the path you’ve set before us.  Give us courage to step forward in faith, trusting that you are with us every step of the way. Help us to always choose obedience over excuses.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Alan Smith
Reprinted with permission from Alan Smith’s Thought For the Day