Caution - Trip Hazard
by Ray Geide

        Outside of every Bible, prayer closet, and church should stand a bright yellow sign that reads, "Caution - Trip Hazard".
        Every time a person comes in contact with or even considers God and His creation, there is a hazard of stumbling. Isaiah 8:14 says that God Almighty "will be a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall."
        How can it be that God causes people to trip? There are two factors that contribute to this trip hazard.
        One is that God is invisible. No one has ever seen God and yet He exists and His influence in this world is obvious.
        All kinds of people trip over this. This is not God’s fault. God has warned about this but people do not listen. Instead they conclude that God is not important, that He is not relevant to us today, or even worse that He does not exist. Even Christians find it hard to give up their toys and idols to turn over large chunks of their time to a God they cannot see.
        But just as sure as invisible things like, oxygen, germs, and thoughts, exist, God does exists. Someday everyone will find this out when they stand before Him at the end of their life and answer for what they have done with God.
        The other factor that contributes to this trip hazard is that God is so much more important and active in this world than people realize. Our brains cannot comprehend how great and important God is. This makes God a huge obstacle.
        People stumble at this when they ignore that God is God and make themselves the god of their lives. They do what they want to do, when they want to do it. They squeeze God out of their lives with things they consider to be more important. How can anything be more important than God? They make up their own rules and twist the words of the Bible to make them agree with what they want. It is as if they are something and God is nothing. What a stumble!
        How can you avoid the trip hazard that God becomes? First, you must see the obstacle and then you must change your actions to account for it. This is why steps in front of a store are often painted bright yellow. The storeowner wants you to see the steps and raise your foot over each one, thus averting a fall or worse yet, a lawsuit.
        How can you see the invisible God? Seek Him. Look for God. Become like a blind person learning the layout of a new environment. Feel around. Try things out. Make the Bible your guide. It may take some time.
        As you find things out about God, change your actions to account for them. When you treat God correctly, this hazard turns into a huge help.
        Do you see the hazard signs I have placed around God? Please be cautious. If you don’t, you will trip.