Ever get the feeling that someone you are talking to has their mind somewhere else? Do you feel like there are days when you can’t seem to concentrate and stay focused? If so, perhaps you know how it feels to “zone out.”
If you have ever checked out of a conversation, drifted off into a daydream, or nodded off slightly when sitting still, you probably know what it means to “zone out.” Experts say that zoning out can range from a harmless moment of rest to serious dangers. Drivers, for example, can suffer from an extremely dangerous “zoning out” called “highway hypnosis” or “micro Sleep.” This occurs when the driver loses perspective by looking ahead and seeing miles of railroad track or highway with no significant changes.
Perhaps no one knows that danger more than William Rockefeller. Last Sunday, Rockefeller, the driver of the New York commuter train that derailed, told investigators that he had “zoned out” shortly before the crash which killed four people, injured 11, and held back 26,000 commuters on the Metro-North Hudson line.
Rockefeller did what he could to react once he “snapped out of it,” but unfortunately, it was too late. Did you know that we can suffer from the danger of “zoning out” in our faith? And often it is far too late to recover by the time we “snap out of it.”
Are you gliding through life zoned out? Have you been lulled to sleep by the apparent long road ahead of you? Paul reminds us to “Awake, O Sleeper” and look to Christ for our salvation (Ephesians 5:14). If you aren’t a child of God, have you “zoned out” in your desire to know the truth? If you are a believer, are you wide-awake and focused on the task? Satan is well-pleased when we are distracted.
The families of those who were injured or lost their lives in this terrible accident are in our prayers. Unnecessary loss of life is always sad. That is why we must be so vigilant, especially with eternal life. Stay vigilant until the end, endure in faithfulness, and receive your reward in heaven.
