Flashlight Etiquette

My wife and I were out on a walk before the recent snow storms. It was dark and we were on a rough road with cracks and failed asphalt patches. June asked me to turn the flashlight on which I did.

Then she told me to try aiming it at the road. I muttered something about knowing what I was doing, only to have her say "Please try pointing it where I'm walking so I don't hurt myself", then "Oh, just let me hold it."

For me the flashlight was for warning oncoming cars of our presence. I was clearly not up to speed on the latest and most important flashlight etiquette which includes the following:

• It is most helpful to hold the light as close as you can to the pathway in front of you
• This may appear to be of no consequence until you encounter rough conditions
• The conditions may worsen if you don't follow flashlight etiquette
• Keep the batteries fresh, a dim light gives false confidence
• Flashlights are of little use when you are standing still
• When someone talks to you, don't shine the light in their face
• Younger drivers don't seem to know a flashlight means veer away from people
• If you don't follow flashlight etiquette you may lose the right to hold the flashlight

Psalm 119:105 says "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path."

So many parallels, here are just a few...

• God's Word has it's best impact when closely applied to everything in our lives
• His Word guides, directs, and reveals God's will
• We don't need His Word to guide us if we're standing still (not risking and out of our comfort zone)
• How we apply the Bible can either blind people or help us walk forward together

During this 40 Days of Renewal we're learning about some of these things as we encounter God. Thankfully I've got a couple months to work on my flashlight etiquette until the snow and bitter cold passes.