Spirituality: If you stick with Jesus, he’ll keep you on course – Norwich Bulletin

I was on my way to New York City to go to a conference last weekend. I needed a coffee and decided to stop at Dunkin' Donuts. Now, visiting a doughnut shop is dangerous for a guy who is always watching his weight. What's worse was the fact that I was in the mood for something sweet.

As I looked at the offerings, I fought off the temptation to grab a double chocolate glazed treat. I decided I'd stick to the plan. I was going to get my hot coffee. Then I looked at the menu board. Suddenly a warm feeling came over me. Before I knew what was happening, I ordered a Coffee Coolata with just a bit of whipped cream.

I fell in love with Coolatas back in spring 2011. That's the year I began my ministry in Westerly. As I drove back and forth on Route 2, I would often stop at Dunkin' on the way. I'd treat myself to one of these special frozen coffees. I couldn't figure out how a coffee drink could taste so good by just adding a bit of whipped cream.

I figured frozen coffee couldn't be that bad for you. So I drank those Coolatas all summer long. A strange thing happened. By the end of summer I noticed that all my pants were getting a little tight around the waist. It didn't make sense. I was a lifetime Weight Watcher. I'm always counting points. I rarely went over my daily allotment.

I mentioned it to Priscilla, my Weight Watcher leader at the time. She laughed out loud. She said, "How many points are you counting for that drink?" I told her I was counting it like a black coffee and adding zero points. She said, "Look it up." I was shocked. It was 25 points without the whipped cream. Suddenly it all made sense.

Little mistakes or oversights can add up. It doesn't take much for us to get off course. Just ask a boater. While out on the Watch Hill Fire rescue boat last summer, one of the department members told me that a few degrees here or there could end up causing our ship to run aground. You have to be alert and keep your eyes open.

Life is filled with detours that distract us and lead us into uncharted waters. Most of the time we don't even realize we are in danger. We just do what we do, like I did with the Coolatas. It is the little things that often lead us astray. We need to keep our eyes on Jesus. We need to listen to the sound of his voice.

That what the Apostle Peter did when he got out of the boat and began doing the impossible, walking on water. The truth is that amazing things happen when we walk with Jesus. We do far more than we think we are capable of. Even more, he will never lead us astray or let us go off course. So keep the faith. Follow Jesus.

The Rev. Cal Lord, of Norwich, is the pastor of Central Baptist Church of Westerly. Reach him at calstigers@gmail.com.