Pulled For NOT Doing Something

I got pulled one year ago.

While driving down Broad Street here in Sumter, I noticed a cop pulled up behind my car.  He followed me for a while before he threw on his lights.  Needless to say, I felt sick to my stomach.  And I was confused because I couldn't think of anything that was wrong with my driving.  

The cop walked up to my car and said this:  "Sir, I don't think you realize this, but your headlights are not on.  You need to go ahead and flip them on now, please."  I replied, "Yes Sir, I sure will.  Sorry I didn't realize that."  He nodded, walked away, and did not give me a ticket.

Whew, what a relief that was!

But it got me thinking...

Sometimes in life our failures are not so much what we do, but what we DON'T do.  It's neglecting important matters that can prove harmful.  We call this "sins of omission".

At times we may choose to NOT

love our neighbor,

help the suffering,

feed the hungry,

shelter the homeless,

befriend the lonely,

warn the wayward,

count our blessings,

worship The Lord,

or spread the gospel.

And failing to do these is not good.

As we look back on our lives, it's possible to regret more than wrong things we did.  Way more!  It's also possible to regret the good things we did NOT do.  

It was Mark Twain who wrote the following:  "Twenty years from now you'll be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore.  Dream.  Discover."

Let's take care of business.  Loving God and loving people are what we need to be doing with our lives.  And when this happens, we will not neglect those things that matter most.