We each have a life story, penned without ink, read by the people around us. Who's writing your story?

Sunday, November 10, 2019

A Review of the Basics

This week, I went back to school.


Well, for a few hours anyway. I joined a classroom of seniors at AAA in Dickson City for a Mature Driving Class for those 55 and over. Not only does taking this class reduce my car insurance premium by 5% but is tailored to meet the needs of those of us who are aging. I found it very helpful.

Here are a few things I learned:

  • Drive with your headlights on at all times, regardless of the time of day.
  • A driver's hands should be positioned at or between the 9 & 3 and 8 & 4 positions on the steering wheel.
  • By age 60, drivers need three times as much light to see as they did at age 20.
  • Incidents of road rage increased 66% from 2017 to 2018.
  • If you take your eyes off the road for just four seconds while traveling 60-65 mph, you travel 100 yards during that time (the length of a football field). Taking your eyes off the road is virtually the same as driving blindfolded!
As one of the youngest in the class, the thing that impressed me was the teachable-ness of the class members.




We never know it all. Guidelines change. Cars change. We change. This rings true in other areas besides driving. We require a review of the basics and would benefit from a refresher course. We need a few reminders.

In his second letter, the apostle Peter wrote, "Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities (from verses 5-7), though you know them and are established in the truth that you have" (2 Peter 1:12). And what were these qualities? Faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love. And they come with a promise: "If you practice these qualities you will never fall" (verse10). 

If we're not intentional in our focus, how easy to find ourselves absorbed in our own interests, in our disappointments, and in our shortcomings instead of "[making] every effort" to incorporate the characteristics listed in Peter's letter. Maybe this is a good time for all of us to go back to school for a refresher course - with a teachable spirit, knowing God gives us His grace in all things. 



*Photos from bing.com/images/free to use