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Chapter 2—A Dashboard for Life

Imagine that you are already several minutes late as you head to your car. You quickly get settled into the driver’s seat, turn the key to start the engine and then shift gears to begin backing up. It’s then, from the corner of your eye, that you notice. The low-fuel light is on. You now have a decision to make. You could heed this silent but clear warning and take the time to stop for gas. Or, you could choose to temporarily ignore the warning and test the limits of your gas tank’s capacity.

Your car’s dashboard is a tremendously helpful tool. When you are driving down the highway, you can’t pop the hood and check over the engine. You can’t see inside your fuel tank from the driver’s seat. Even when parked in your driveway, the complex mix of hundreds of parts, multiple computers, various fluids and pressures are overwhelming to most people. The dashboard solves this problem.

The dashboard identifies the key functions and provides a simple overview at a glance. These few gauges can give you a fairly clear and objective overview of the car’s operating condition. Then, whatever your mechanical aptitude, you can have a more objective level of confidence or concern as you drive. If a yellow or red warning light comes on the dashboard, you can make a choice. One choice is to cover it over with duct tape and ignore it. Another choice is to take action to investigate and rectify the potential problem.

The simple concept of a car dashboard can also be applied to your life. By identifying some key indicators of health, a dashboard of gauges can be created to provide a simple, objective system of feedback. While not scientific, a dashboard can be a simple way to keep on track and to watch for emerging problems. It provides helpful feedback and perspective in the midst of everyday life. If you are a Christian leader operating at high speeds with limited feedback and time for reflection, a dashboard can be a particularly helpful tool for leading yourself.

There are many possible dashboard gauges for the Christian life, but there are four specific gauges that emerge as repeated themes from the life of Jesus and throughout Scripture. These four gauges provide a practical tool for self-evaluation, but they also paint a clear target of God’s intention for our lives.