A Close Encounter

Growing up, my family spent many summer vacations at a lake house. I have memories of long lazy days on the boats, and nightly bonfires that usually resulted in more s’mores than we could actually eat.

My first solo joyride on a Jet Ski gave my family the scare of their lives. I was 12 years old, didn’t have a clue how to drive anything but a go-kart, and I had a rather large ego. After hours of pleading, I finally persuaded my parents to let me take the Jet Ski out alone. I buckled into my life jacket, placed the key in the ignition, and waved to my family on the shoreline. My mother hesitantly waved back.

I knew I had a chance to prove myself. I had to show them what I was made of. I thought, Watch me! I’ll prove that I’m tough! With everyone’s eyes on me, I floored the gas and jetted off into the distance.

Things went well for the first few minutes—but you can only go so far inside of a cove.

My helpless family watched as I drove straight toward the opposite shoreline at full throttle, without showing any signs of letting up. When I realized that I was dangerously close to shore, I decided it was finally time to maneuver the Jet Ski in another direction. I turned the handlebars and banked a hard left, but the Jet Ski only turned a few inches. I panicked. I knew I was headed straight for a major disaster within a matter of seconds and, unless I acted quickly, I would end up with much more than just a bruised ego. I finally let off the accelerator a little bit. I also realized that, in order to make the Jet Ski to change directions, I had to lean in and put all my weight into the turn.

I closed my eyes, turned the handlebars, and leaned in as far left as I could possibly go… and I missed the shoreline by just a few feet.

By the time I made my way back to my family on the other side, my mother had stopped screaming and my father had finally regained the wind that seemed to have been knocked out of him during my close encounter. They hugged me and told me how much I scared them… and they promised not to let me ride a Jet Ski again until I had my driver’s license!

As we journey down this path of life, there may be times that we will find ourselves barreling full-speed ahead down the wrong path. When you find yourself reeling headfirst toward imminent destruction, how can you change directions?

Turn. When you realize you’re headed in the wrong direction, you must first make the conscious decision to change directions. You must change your focus from what is wrong to what is right. Turn the handlebars toward the right path.

Slow down. Begin to put more thought into the decisions you make and how they affect the direction in which you’re headed. Think twice before you make split-second decisions and re-evaluate the people you surround yourself with.

Lean in. Allow yourself to place all your trust in the Lord’s control. Put all of your weight into it, lean in, and enjoy the ride.

Instead of destruction, you will find yourself headed in a new direction… the right direction!