How is your suspension set up?
Most everyone who knows me knows I am a car guy. I read about cars, I look at cars, I am fascinated by cars. But there is one aspect to every car that intrigues me. It is the suspension system. While some suspensions give a smooth ride others are set up for a sportier ride and still others are modified or lifted but the main job is to make sure the tires stay connected to the roadway. I know you probably never even paid attention to it or went to buy a car and told the salesman,”I would like to see the suspension”. That’s because we like to see the outward parts, the shiny things, the parts others see. But the outward things don’t help you when you hit a bump or a curve in the roadway. The suspension system is one of the most important systems on a vehicle. Why is it called a system? Well, it has many parts but all of the parts work together to achieve what the system was set up to do.
I was driving to church on Sunday and to get there I have to take the Interstate. Now the interstate is mostly straight with a few bends in the road but usually no turns or really sharp curves. Anyway, this car passed me in the straight area of the interstate. I only noticed it because we happened to take the same exit ramp. Now that vehicle arrived at the exit ramp before I did but because the ramp had a sharp turn in it I caught up. Why did I catch up in the curve? Well the suspension system on my car is set up for the curves. Every aspect of the design, from the dampening of the shocks, to the strength of the coils, to the upper and lower control arms, is built to keep me connected in the curves. Now if you ride in my car you may not appreciate the system set up especially in the straight smooth areas because every suspension set up has it drawbacks. Mine is that it is not as smooth as a luxury setup. My vehicle may not ride as smooth as most but it sure can take the curves. I don’t know about you but I want to go through the curves in life faster.
Psalm 139:13 tells us God formed our inward parts. Matt’s translation, God set up your suspension and knew how you would handle the curves. Remember the verse from Habakkuk 3:19, “He makes my feet like hinds feet and makes me walk on my high places.” He set me up for these situations so I can reach my ultimate destination. God has formed you as a system. He knows how to keep you grounded, connected, to give you traction in the curves of life. But maybe you are going into some curves and thinking, I am not set up right for this. If that’s the case then for a time ride, you should ride with someone who has the right set up for your situation. To get you through these curves, to put you back on the straight, smooth path again.
Matt's Anthology 