I was driving behind a pick up the other day, the kind that's a real work horse. There were old buckets, shovels and rakes in the bed, along with a bunch of paper sacks, some full, some empty.

As we were zooming down the freeway, one of the sacks flew out of the truck and sailed over my car and under the vehicle behind me. As our hearts jumped, those of us behind the truck slowed down... but he just kept going, oblivious of the hazard he had just caused.

People can be like that sometimes. We are moving fast, working hard. And sometimes we let dangerous things fly about. Sometimes it's a reckless word, a sarcastic remark, or a judgmental stare. Or it can be thoughtlessly passing by someone who needs our help and attention.

If we stop occasionally to check what's in our heart (or what's in the bed of our truck), we can correct problems before they fly out and hurt others. King David learned to check his heart as a life habit, because he didn't want to live recklessly. He prayed:

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way of understanding Psalm 139:23-24