SENSOR

About six months ago the airbag light began flashing in the car. I took it to the Toyota dealer who tried to trace the problem but couldn’t find it. It took them a couple of hours and they charged me $130.00. Since they couldn’t find a problem, they reset the light and sent me on my way. Just before heading to Illinois a couple of weeks ago, the flashing red light came on again. It was very annoying and distracting especially at night. So, I put a band-aid over the light and off we went. Two days ago I took the car to a different shop to get the oil changed and asked them if they could diagnose the airbag light. It cost me sixty dollars and about thirty minutes. They traced it to a sensor which is located in the passenger seat. The mechanic gave me a computer printout of the problem and suggested that I take it back to the dealer. He doesn’t do airbag work but warned me that my problem may be $1,500 or more to fix. So, I stopped at the dealer to make an appointment to see what they say now. I take the car in on Friday.

Sometimes I wish we had flashing spiritual sensors to tell us when we are headed down the wrong path in life. It seems that the only sensors we have is a quickening in our conscious or a fitly word spoken by another. However, we are usually so attuned to our wants that we disregard or place a band-aid over any warning lights that our conscious can be giving. Even if the warning signal is as annoying and distracting as the light in my car, over time we can grow numb to the caution. For the most part though, our warnings from the conscious are subtle and there are no flashing lights to warn us of our wandering ways. About the only back-up system we have is to know what is right and seek to do it. Even if God was to actively warn us, mankind’s history is to ignore the warnings and continue to pursue our own ways and desires.

My car may take $1500 or more to fix. Yet, I don’t want to do without the airbags. Mistakes in our personal lives can cost us a lot more than $1500. They may cost us everything. It’s good to keep our conscious sensitive to our thoughts and actions. Our conscious is a sensitive sensor; it’s best to keep it clear.