When British rule in India ended in the 1940s, a group of social scientists studied its impact on the life of the nation. They discovered after six months of study that many of the villages were not aware that the British had ever been there. The British had been present since the 1600s, but the average Indian villager lived and died without any knowledge that the British had ever been present.
Many times God is active in our lives, but we are not aware of, or tuned in to, His presence directing our lives. We use Him as a crutch in hard times when He should be our commander at all times. Now, imagine that life is like a tall, steep mountain. You want to be on top of the mountain where there is an abundance of good things, but the road to the top is a slow and winding path. My friend, Zig Ziglar, has written a book entitled See You at the Top. As you proceed up this path to the top, there are others along the way.
Recently, there was a 70th class reunion — there were only six people left in the class. These gentlemen are in their late 80s and traveling very slowly. It's like the man who said, "I can't see. I can't hear. But, thank God, I can still drive." The good thing about old age is that after a certain age you don't really care what anyone else thinks. That's good. After Dr. Criswell turned 80, I asked him what the benefits were. He replied that there was no peer pressure. You can blow your horn, yell and scream at those around you, but it won't matter.
As you travel up the winding path you may run into one of these six old geezers. You may round the corner to find there is someone just putting along. What will you do? You just ease out into the other lane and check for oncoming traffic. Suddenly, there's a car coming, and you duck back in. You gasp, "Wow, I almost killed myself; I didn't see the car coming." Eventually, you become impatient and ease out into the other lane and — boom — there is another car coming right at you. You say, "Good night, I almost got hit again." Then your wife begins to give you driving advice. I was speaking with Bobby Bowden, the coach of Florida State, and he said that his wife does all the driving — he just gets to hold the steering wheel. (I won't go into all of that, since this isn't marriage counseling.)
That's life without God's perspective — trying to get up the winding path to the top without directions. There may be times when you say you're just going to "go for it" only to find an eighteen-wheeler in your path. You manage to get around the truck, and think you've made it, when another one comes charging at you. Then you wonder again if you will make it. You are always afraid. You never know who or what will come at you next. You need God's perspective.
Look at it like this. You have a Friend on top of the mountain. He has binoculars and can see the road. He knows what the hazards are and who is on the road. He has your cell phone number. He calls and tells you there are two cars ahead and then you can pass. The two cars pass and — zoom — you're at the top. Why? Your Friend sees everything, but you have to trust Him and wait on Him.
Once, when Troy Aikman was injured, he was unable to play in a game. This was back in the days when the Cowboys were great. Now they're so bad they have unlisted jerseys. The second-string quarterback played, but where was Troy? He was on the sidelines with headphones on. He was listening to the man in the press box who had a higher perspective. Here was Troy Aikman, one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, listening to someone with a higher perspective. Watch the great coaches and you will see them with headphones on. They are listening to a higher perspective. They need eyes from above. You may feel like you are poking along on the hill of life. Keep your headphones and cell phones on and listen for God's signals.
For many of us, now is not the time to pass the car … or the ball. Just enjoy the trip. Take this time to be sure you are well tuned. You want to be ready when it is time to pass. Don't lose your zip! Change your oil (symbolically speaking, of course) and wait on Him. Wait on Him to tell you it's time to do something dramatic. For some of us, God has made it clear that it is time to pass the obstruction blocking our way to the top. It's time to pull out, put the pedal to the metal, and as Zig says, "See you at the top."
