Years ago, my husband and I were traveling to visit the Chickasaw Nation in southern Oklahoma when something alongside the freeway caught our attention. Neither of us could figure out what it was at first, which naturally made us stare even harder. As we got closer, the strange little creature finally came into view. It was an armadillo.
I had never seen a live armadillo before. In fact, we had been told that seeing one along the highway in that part of the country was practically a rite of passage, although apparently the usual sighting was considerably less lively. Someone had jokingly referred to them as “Texas Speed Bumps,” which seemed terribly unkind until we learned how often armadillos and automobiles meet with unfortunate results.
Armadillos are commonly out foraging at night during hot weather, their eyesight is poor, and when startled they have the rather unfortunate habit of jumping straight into the air. That may work splendidly when something with teeth is after you. Against the undercarriage of a moving automobile, not so much. So finding one alive, in broad daylight, slowly ambling along beside the freeway felt like we had stumbled upon something worth seeing.
And see it we did. My husband was looking. I was looking. Apparently the only one not being properly attended to was the car, because somewhere in the middle of our armadillo admiration, we began drifting out of our lane.
You would think that little incident would have satisfied our curiosity. We had identified the mysterious creature, seen our first live armadillo, and narrowly avoided becoming personally acquainted with the lane beside us. Surely two sensible adults would now turn their attention back to the road and continue toward the Chickasaw Nation.
We pulled over.
It was miserably hot outside, and we were sitting quite comfortably in an air-conditioned car, but apparently climate control was no match for a live armadillo. We got out and began walking alongside it as it lumbered slowly down the roadside.
I wish I could tell you it became more majestic upon closer inspection. It did not. That was one homely little creature. Yet there we were, two grown adults trudging through the heat playing follow the leader with an armadillo while cars zipped past us on the freeway. We attracted plenty of attention, and to this day I wonder what those drivers thought when they saw us. Whatever conclusions they reached, I doubt, “Those people must be on their way to the Chickasaw Nation,” was high on the list.
Eventually we returned to the wonderfully air-conditioned car and continued our journey. Looking back, though, there was an interesting progression in what happened that day. Something caught our eye, so we looked. The longer we looked, the more interested we became. Our interest affected our driving, then changed our plans, and finally had us out of the car following something that had never been part of our destination in the first place.
That funny old memory makes me think differently about the words:
“Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.” (Hebrews 2:1)
Life has plenty of roadside attractions, and a great many of them will be considerably prettier than that armadillo. Something catches our eye, awakens a desire, promises a little happiness, or simply looks interesting enough to pursue. We give it some attention, then something else comes along and receives a little more. Before long, what attracts me, pleases me, interests me, or satisfies me can begin deciding where my time, energy, affection, and resources go.
Somewhere along the way, distraction can become direction.
That is where self can quietly begin occupying the place that belongs to God. Instead of asking where He is leading, life gradually becomes organized around what I want, what I enjoy, what I think I need, and where I would rather go. The unsettling part is that I can still know my intended destination. I can still talk about following Christ while making one small choice after another that is slowly carrying me in another direction.
There is something sobering about realizing that, for a little while that day, my husband and I surrendered our direction to an armadillo. We had somewhere to go, a destination already chosen, and a perfectly good road leading us there. But something beside the road captured our attention so completely that we stopped our journey and started following it instead.
The armadillo, of course, had absolutely no idea where we were going, and neither do the things of this world. They cannot lead us toward a destination they were never designed to reach.
That gives new weight to the counsel in Hebrews to “give the more earnest heed.” What holds my attention matters because attention rarely stays merely attention. What I continually look toward, think about, desire, and pursue eventually begins shaping my choices—and, little by little, my direction.
A few chapters later, Hebrews gives us the beautiful counterpoint: “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). We do not stay on course by nervously watching every roadside attraction, but by keeping our eyes upon the One who knows exactly where He is leading us.
There will always be things along the road worth noticing. Some may even be worth stopping for. But every now and then, it is worth asking whether something I meant only to enjoy along the way has quietly begun determining the way.
After all, there is quite a difference between noticing an armadillo and letting one lead you.
Reflection Questions:
1. What has been receiving a great deal of my attention lately, and is it shaping my choices more than I realize?
2. Is there something I once intended merely to enjoy that has gradually begun taking more of my time, affection, energy, or resources than it should?
3. What truth God has already shown me needs my “more earnest heed” again?
4. If I continue making the same small choices I am making today, are they carrying me toward the life God is leading me to live?
Prayer Prompt
Heavenly Father, You know how easily my attention can be captured by the things along the road. Help me to “give the more earnest heed” to the truth You have already given me and to recognize when something that deserves only a glance has begun receiving too much of my gaze. Search my heart and show me where my own desires have begun directing choices that should be surrendered to You. Turn my eyes again toward Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Keep You at the center of my desires, my decisions, and the direction of my life, and lead me faithfully toward the destination You have chosen for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If this devotional stirred your heart to follow Christ more closely and to walk with purpose, take the next step in His Word—“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalms 119:11). Keep your eyes on Jesus and let Scripture dwell richly in you day by day.
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