On August 21, I received a new right knee. The morning after surgery I was expected to sit in a chair to eat breakfast and dress with the help of an occupational therapist. After that I walked down the hall and began to exercise the knee with skin held together by 27 staples so that I could regain full use of it again.

I soon recognized the many hazards in my environment that I had not noticed before surgery. Of course, I had been warned about the possibility of falling so I was told to remove all scatter rugs from my home. I removed all but a large one in the living room and since it was so large, I didn’t feel it would be a problem. However, it was that rug that was almost my undoing!

I noticed other hazards. I saw the dips and rises in parking lots. I noticed what seemed like boulders on gravel parking areas as well as simple things such as a pair of shoes by the door. The transition between carpet and hard flooring felt a bit like a deep dropoff so I had to change my way of moving from one room to another. There could have been a temptation to sit in my chair where I seemed safe. I would still be sitting there if I had not done the hard things like walking in spite of the fear, exercising in spite of the pain or asking for help when I really needed it.

This sudden awareness of hazards made me wonder about the spiritual hazards we might ignore in our daily lives. I believe that just as I had to watch for hazards and push harder after surgery, we need to do the same spiritually. Do these dips and rises in life weaken our faith or strengthen our resolve to follow harder after God by doing the hard work of studying and learning about Him? Do we trip over seemingly insignificant thoughts or comments so that we begin to doubt God’s love and faithfulness? Are we frozen by our fear of moving from one place to another rather than seeking Him for a different way to make the transition? Do small annoyances become boulders because we refuse to pray over them or seek help when we need it? Do we keep something we should remove from our lives because we don’t think it will be a real problem; in spite of the warnings?

Satan wishes to render us powerless by making us fearful and weak as he throws hazards in our path. “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.” (I Peter 5:8) Instead, we are to “Flee from these things…and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith…” (1 Timothy 6:11-12)

We don’t want to be like those in the sadly funny videos that show people busily texting, who fall into pools, run into poles, trip on stairs, walk into walls or knock people down. They are not focused on potential hazards but are only inwardly focused. Let’s be God focused!

Reflections, a mini-sermon written by Minot and area clergy, will appear each Saturday in The Minot Daily News. Clergy interested in writing a mini-sermon should contact Andrea Johnson at 857-1945 or ajohnson@minotdailynews.com

Helen McCormack and her husband, David, are members of Wycliffe Bible Translators serving from their home in Minot.