Red Light, Green Light

Does the game come to your mind? Most, if not all of us, have played or watched this game before. Maybe it's been a long time since you played the game or maybe you have played it more recently! This game has been played numerous times by people of all ages. A side note for parents and anyone that takes care of kids: Red Light, Green Light is an easy, fun way to get up and moving especially during this quarantine! In the game, red means stop and green means go. As one person stands in front of the others and calls out red or green, the people playing have to listen very carefully. You have to move ahead or stand still according to what is being said. In other words, you have to listen to the directions. If you don't listen carefully, you might keep going when you're supposed to stop or stop when you're supposed to go! With that thought, let's look at II Timothy 3:16. It says, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." The Word of God will direct and teach us what's right and wrong. It tells us the "red lights" and "green lights" to watch out for in our lives and the world around us. God's Word gives us instructions and will not lead us to do something wrong. But, just like in the game, we have to listen closely to what is being said and act accordingly. In our lives, there are red lights that we need to be aware of and stop when we find ourselves doing these. One red light we should look out for is selfishness. When we're selfish, it becomes all about us. Now don't get me wrong...we do need to be our best, look our best and take care of ourselves the best way possible. But when it becomes all about you all the time and that's it, there's a problem. Sometime during the day, we should think about how we can help, encourage or give a compliment to someone else. Let's not get so caught up in what we have going on that we miss the opportunity to check on or help somebody else. Another red light we need to watch out for is complaining. I know this one might be tempting to do as we're in quarantine and can't see people and go to places like we want to. However, we still have to take time in our day to be thankful for what and who we still have in our lives. We have to be thankful for the health and strength that God has given us through it all. We need to remember that things could be worse than what they are right now. You can write down a list or put items on note cards and look at them often to remind you of what you have to be thankful for. Another red light to watch out for is worry. This is another one that is tempting to do during this quarantine time. The minute we start to worry, we have put our focus on the problem and not God. When the thoughts of worry come, we need to pray and take a deep breath. Start walking around or doing something constructive (listen to music, draw, exercise) to get your mind off what is worrying you. There's more "red lights,", but I just mentioned a few of them here. When we see these red lights, we need to hit the brakes and stop. We need to turn away from them and not participate in them. On the other hand, there are "green lights" that we should go and do. We should learn the lessons from our past and move on. We should learn all we can and use it when we can. We should pray, spend time with God and go to church. We should love, be kind, help others, forgive and be thankful. Now there is another light I haven't mentioned yet. It's the yellow traffic light and it means to slow down. The quarantine definitely has us doing that! There are things in our lives that we need to be cautious and slow to do.When we're rushing, we can make wrong decisions. Some of us have rushed into things or said things too quick! James 1:19 tells us about "yellow lights" that we need to look out for. In that verse, it talks about being slow to speak and slow to becoming angry. We can't say the first thing we think. Let's pray and think before we speak or do something we may later regret. We have to remember to pay attention and be alert to the signs because the lights can change quickly. Our lives can change quickly as a result of different circumstances. We need to totally rely on God and know God's Word. Let's follow God's Word and act accordingly. Remember..God's directions will never lead us wrong. Remember..watch the signs!