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My ten-year-old minivan began to lose power and shutter as I drove a load of teens to church one evening. One of them humorously said, “What a nice massage we’re getting in the back seat!”

And then the lights began to flash on my dashboard. One was a light I had never seen flash before. I had the teen in the front seat grab the owner’s manual from the glove box and try to find the explanation of these lights. Honestly, he was less than helpful since he had no clue where to start looking for answers. By the time we got across town, the shuttering and lost power were worse. Something was clearly wrong with my trusted van.

I sat in the parking lot at church after the teens had trotted in, relieved to be on solid ground! As I thumbed through the owner’s manual, I was struck with a spiritual application to my situation.

Don’t you wish we would get a flashing light notification to pull over and check your heart? Sometimes grief causes our hearts to harden toward spiritual things or become uncaring of others because our personal concerns are so great. If a “check engine” light would come on to give us a heads up, it would be great. Maybe it could be explained in the owner’s manual like this: when the light comes on, pull over to the nearest parking lot, close your eyes, breathe in ten deep breaths, tell Jesus about what’s on your heart, take ten more deep breaths, open your eyes, and continue on your journey.

Too often I allow myself to get further down the road before I notice I need to get my engine checked. For example, I was having some irrational reactions to things happening around me recently. When I finally slowed down long enough to evaluate my emotions, I discovered several things were weighing on my heart.

I sneaked back into my bedroom, closed the door, went back to my closet, and had a long talk to God. He brought to mind that I was still dealing with some unforgiveness again in my heart.

It was then I realized the phrase that is so true: We must take our thoughts captive or they will take us captive. I opened the “owner’s manual” and discovered FIVE verses to help me get back on the road.

take every thought captive to obey Christ
2 Corinthians 10:5b (ESV)

Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.
Proverbs 4:23 (GNT)

let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.
Romans 12:2 (NLT)

Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7 (NASB)

In conclusion, my friends, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable.
Philippians 4:8 (GNT)

Sisters, negative emotions, and negative thoughts come naturally into our minds. But we get into trouble when we allow those negative ideas to STAY. Instead of allowing those thoughts to take up residence in your heart and life, we must take our thoughts captive or they really will take us captive.

When the “check engine light” comes on and we realize we are struggling to stay the course, remember these five verses to get you back on life’s journey again.

There have been times I needed to get a “tune up” from a professional, too. Even focusing on God’s Word couldn’t get me from my funk. Don’t be afraid to seek professional help when you can’t seem to get out of your rut. Many pastors have names of trusted professionals who can help with a “tune up”. There’s no shame in that.

Resources:

Focus on the Family offers phone consultations and lists of counselors in your area.

GriefShare has meetings in churches all across America to help people with their loss, whether fresh or not.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
National Hopeline Network: 1-800-SUICIDE (800-784-2433)
Self-Harm Hotline: 1-800-DONT CUT (1-800-366-8288)