“Lag Time”

Originally Posted July 31, 2020

I remember my high school physics class teacher asking … “how quickly can you stop a car going 60 mph”?  I thought, it would take a couple of seconds to stop and maybe the car would travel 20 feet…. hmmmmm.

Here’s a few facts:

• if you are driving at 60 mph, you will travel approximately 66 feet before your foot even hits the brake pedal. 

(lag time)

• if you were going 60 mph, it would take you over 300 feet to stop the car…. greater than the length of a football field? (ref. drivinguniversity.com)

It does make me want to pay more attention when I’m driving …. guarding against distractions like  “oh look at that beautiful flower, or hmmm, who’s texting me….”

”Lag time” is the elapsed time between two (related) events. “Spiritual lag time” is the time between recognizing a temptation and getting rid of it…. shorten your lag time and you have a better chance of not hitting the wall of sin. Just as when your driving speed increases, it’s more challenging to come to a stop…… spiritually, when the lag time increases or the temptation hangs around longer, it’s harder to stop. 

One more thing …driving your car on a clear, dry road in the summer is one thing, but driving on an icy road in winter is another. So while you don’t want to be driving your car on an icy street, you also don’t want to be taking a “spiritual” walk on an icy sidewalk. Putting yourself in the “occasion of sin”  is a lot like walking on an icy sidewalk …you won’t necessarily fall, but there’s a greater chance of slipping and when you slip, you’re likely to end up on the ground. 

So in all of this, we need to be on our toes, for the devil is like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. (1Peter 5:8) He tries to get us on slippery ground and distracted with many temptations, which come in all sizes and shapes.

Okay before we get too discombobulated with all these thoughts, let me try and summarize…. “we have lag time, occasions of sin, the devil and  stopping a car going 60 mph….hmmmmm. Let’s try this. Life is a great adventure and the Lord has a beautiful plan for us …. but it can be dangerous in many ways. We need to always be on our toes, alert to life’s dangers like the occasions of sin and the devil’s attacks. But let’s also remember to enjoy the ride for the adventure’s destination is heaven. And let’s keep our eyes on the road….better yet, let’s keep our eyes on the Lord!