How a habit almost got me run over in the land down under …

I love Australia!

I’ve been able to take two vacation trips to the “land down under,” first to Sydney, and later to Melbourne.

I was so excited my first day in Sydney. I was actually staying in a hotel in Manley Beach, which required me to take a short but scenic and enjoyable ferry ride to Sydney proper.

Upon disembarking the ferry on my first landing in the city, I set about exploring and shopping, just to take in the city and its sights. Later that morning, I exited and a shop located at the corner of a busy intersection in downtown Sydney when I decided to cross the street and explore the shops on the other side. So I looked left and, seeing no oncoming traffic, started to step into the street to cross it …

Fortunately, in a split second, my peripheral vision saw motion from the other direction and, upon looking right, I saw the car — and the many other vehicles behind it — that I almost stepped in front of!

I instantly pulled myself back, and took a deep breath, realizing how I had almost stepped in front of oncoming traffic.

It was only then that I noticed painted on the street at the curb were two words of warning I had not noticed before attempting to cross the street: “Look right.”

As an American tourist, I had forgotten to take into account that our Australian friends drive on the wrong side — I mean, the other side — of the street than we do. So when I looked left, I was looking in the wrong direction to check for oncoming traffic because it would be coming from the other direction.

Hence the warning painted on the street: “Look right.”

Just because I was acting out of habit, I nearly got run over!

The Apostle Paul certainly had an understanding of habits. He knew that new Christians often begin their journey as followers of Christ with some old habits still lingering. Knowing that old habits of sin can “run us over,” he also issues a warning to look the right way now that we belong to Jesus and to shed those habits so they no longer can cause us harm:

“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him,” Colossians 3:1-10.

Have you shed those old sinful habits that can only hurt you? Have you learned to look the right way in following Jesus?

Scotty