New Year's Resolution: Avoid Cruise Control

One of the features that I value the most in a car is cruise control. I average around 3000km per month, most of those on the highway, and it’s nice to relax your foot and not have to worry about your speed as you trek along. It’s so important to me that I would probably not buy a car without this feature.
Cruise control is nice when I drive on the highway, but I’ve gotten myself in trouble a few times when I have tried to use it on narrow, winding country roads. These kinds of roads demand constant attention, focus, and re-adjustment of my speed. It is impossible to just put it on cruise and just sail along. To do so puts me at great risk of going off the road.
Thomas A Kemphis, the medieval author of the well-known book, Imitation of Christ, once noted something very insightful concerning the spiritual state of many Christians.
“Actually, our fervor and desire for virtue should increase every day as we grow older. But now it is considered wonderful if we still hold onto a spark of our first fervor.” –Book 1, Chapter 11.5
What he seems to be describing here, is a state of spiritual decline in many Christians, caused by what I would describe as spiritual cruise control.
If a person is on cruise control spiritually speaking, there are two things that can happen. The first is that they will crash. Many of the colossal moral failures we see in Christian leaders are not the result of one impulsive decision, but rather the inevitable fruit of a stagnant spiritual walk. Just like a good marriage is not destroyed in a moment, so a healthy spiritual walk does not just fall in an instant. The second, and much worse thing that can happen, is that we will find ourselves on the broad way that leads to destruction. The broad way is the only place we can be comfortable on cruise control. For every one person who crashes, there are probably ten who find themselves in this predicament.
Many people seem content in cruise control spirituality. They haven’t grown in years. They are basically the same people with the same bad habits that they were 20 years ago. Their religion is more of a tradition, than something that brings them true joy and satisfaction. Though they seem to be in a far better state than those who fall into serious moral lapses, in many ways they are much worse off. Those who crash are brought face to face with their true spiritual condition. But the majority live a relatively comfortable existence in this state, and are unaware of their problem. The most deadly forms of cancer are the forms that are hardest to diagnose early. A person just seems to be the picture of health, and by the time they learn of their disease, it’s too late.
Here’s a little quiz to figure out if you’re on spiritual cruise control:
1. Is your spiritual life characterized primarily by routine and tradition?
2. Have you made significant spiritual progress in the past year?
3. Have you gained exiting new insights into the spiritual life in the past year?
4. Have you overcome any bad habits, poor attitudes, or personality flaws in the past year?
5. Have you been a genuine blessing to those around you this past year?
6. Is your spiritual journey a source of great joy in your life?
How did you do? If you didn’t do so well, be happy! You’ve just made the most important step towards healing: diagnosis. There is a Great Physician who is more than able to heal you.