Keys

So there I was...

Standing outside my car, peering in, looking at my car key sitting on the passenger seat.

But I can honestly say that it wasn't my fault.  Well, mostly.

What happened was that the keyring broke.  At least two of them--they were those cheap little keyrings you get from the mechanic when they affix the tag to the key so they know which car is yours.  They broke yesterday afternoon, so while I had the keychain with me, it was missing the most important key.  (A big thanks to my wife for saving me!)

How often do we entrust ourselves to something flimsy, that we know won't stand the test, but serves the purpose for a little while?  Before long, we stop thinking about how inadequate it is and just go on with life, ignoring the problem until a storm comes up and everything falls apart (literally, sometimes) and despair sets in.

I have been thinking about how we do that with our spiritual life.  We establish some inadequate practices, often just doing it to get by for a period until we can get to a better place, when we'll change then.  It's that whole 'life-will-be-better-when' thing.  But whenever we do get to that other place, some other crisis arises, or by then we're so accustomed to our crisis coping skills that we don't bother to replace the cheap keyring with something sturdy--we don't sink our roots deep into the soil, we don't ensure the foundation of our lives is rooted squarely on Christ.  Then, when the storms come, we are battered and in despair.

What practices in your spiritual life have you replaced with something inadequate?  What crisis coping skills have become permanent?  What promises have you made about your relationship with God that you haven't begun to fulfill?

Let's ensure we're centered on Christ, that in all times, good and bad, we'll be centered on what matters most!