Five Minute Friday: Join

Whenever I hear the word join, the blinking yellow light goes off in my head…you know, like in one of those WWII submarine movies where the sub goes on high alert, yellow lights are blinking, and you hear the “bwoop, bwoop, bwoop” siren in the background? 

I have been blessed by “joining,” and I have been burned, badly burned by “joining.”

If you ask my parents, I feel confident they would tell you I was a pretty good kid growing up.  I certainly wasn’t perfect, but by and large I was obedient, a good student, and hung with a good group of kids.  There was one instance in high school though, where I got caught up in the moment with the wrong crowd doing something that we shouldn’t have been doing.  The consequences were pretty severe.  It was a powerful lesson to learn early in life, and while I still cringe when I think about what happened, I’m thankful for the experience. 

I see the “blinking yellow light” in my head like a traffic signal.  Whenever I’m in the car and approach an intersection with a blinking yellow light, I slow down and pause to assess my surroundings before proceeding through.  Whether it is in relationships or use of time, I have learned the importance of using caution before joining.  When presented with an opportunity to join people or a group or organization, I have learned that if I pause and allow the Holy Spirit to speak and shed His light on the decision before me, blessings follow.