We have a vehicle that tells us when we are about to run out of gas, or rather, how much further we can drive until we run out of gas.
There is a display that shows DTE, or distance until empty. The other day as I was coming home late from the grocery store, a bell dinged in my vehicle telling me I was low on gas. I looked up and saw that my DTE was 15 miles. It was late, cold, and I had dinner to cook. I didn’t want to take time to get gas, so I figured it could wait until the next day.
The next day, my husband drove our son to school and when I jumped in the car to run a couple of errands, the DTE was seven miles, so I figured I had some wiggle room. I ran my first errand close to home. When I got back in the van my DTE was two miles.
There is a gas station close to our home where gas is often more expensive, but I had no choice. As I pulled into the station my DTE now read “0.” I filled up and went about my errands.
Reflecting back, I realized that the way I pushed my luck on getting gas is often how we live our lives spiritually. We know we need to fill up on the word of God. We know when we need to be a part of sharing His love and grace, and we know we need to pray. All of that is our spiritual sustenance, or fuel, for living.
But rather than keep our tanks full, we run ourselves until our spiritual tank says “DTE 0” and then we fill up with something less than fulfilling. Often, that “something” costs us much more than we had hoped.
We read about it all the time; the wife who wanted more from her husband and turned to another man; the husband who wanted more from his wife but settled for internet pornography. It is the pastor who works himself day and night at great cost to his family; and the teenage girl who wants to be loved by her father, but settles for the physical affections of a boy.
We get to our bottom and know we need to fill-up, but the nearest thing comes at a great price. Thinking we have no other option, we take it in. We convince ourselves it’s only enough to get us to the good stuff, just enough to get across town, but the damage is already done.
It’s a perpetual decline in our spiritual health and in the end, we can be left with more than a few chinks in our armor.
I often read about how the holidays are such a crazy time for folks. We run ourselves ragged looking for the perfect gift, baking holiday treats, attending holiday parties, and trying to do it all in a short amount of time.
It is now Advent; a time of expectation, of hope and of giving. This Advent, don’t allow yourself to reach DTE 0. Instead, fill up now on the true meaning of Christmas. Allow yourself to be full of the understanding of this season, to share it with your family, and most importantly share your gratefulness with God.
There may be many gifts under your tree, but the one that really matters is the gift sent from Heaven so long ago. Let His love, generosity and grace be your fuel this Christmas.