Have you ever been driving and suddenly realized you’re not aware of the last few miles?
I noticed something during my bike ride this morning. Or, rather, I noticed how much I wasn’t noticing.
I was rolling along, having a great workout, and suddenly I realized I’d just coasted along for a couple of miles. I stopped working hard, I wasn’t paying attention to what was happening—I guess I sort of zoned out.
It’s not all that surprising, especially when I’m riding lots of miles over mostly familiar terrain. But as I refocused on my workout I wondered how much time I’d wasted.
Then I thought about how frequently I do something similar in my everyday life.
Most of daily life happens on familiar terrain. It’s awfully easy to zone out and begin coasting, taking things for granted, going through the motions. Before you realize it, a few days or a few years have passed unnoticed. Those little kids are suddenly going away to college, the dreams of
a lifetime sit untouched, and we wonder where all that time went.
Zoned out happens in church when familiar worship patterns become routine—the service ends and I realize I wasn’t really present. It happens in meetings, at dinner, over family gatherings.
There’s nothing wrong with coasting on a bike or in life. You can’t go all-out maximum-effort all the time. I think what matters is coasting intentionally, being aware, not being zoned out.
This is the day the Lord has made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24
God gives me each day as a gift. I want to be thankful, but that means I must at least be conscious of the gift.
I can’t do that if I’m zoned out.
Where do you seem to zone out?
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