The sign above the six-lane freeway says what everyone should intuitively know. It is unsafe to text while driving. Currently it is legal in California to text while bicycling. I would think that it would be obvious that texting while riding is dangerous, however some have a different perspective.
The intersection between knowing, being aware, and acting is often confusing. I know texting while driving is illegal. I am very aware that it is unsafe. On occasion I text while driving, though never on a bicycle. Why I do this, I do not know. I cannot rationalize my behavior. I have no explanation for the conflict between action and belief.
The gap between being aware and having consistent action is belief combined with conviction. I believe, but I am not always convicted. Awareness is not enough. Knowledge helps, but it alone will not lead to belief. Belief required that I embrace without reservations. Conviction is when my soul demands that I follow without hesitation.
When I watch this play out in my life, I see a dance. My awareness makes me curious. I am like a historical governor what did not believe but was aware. Even in his professed disbelief, “Felix and his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish, sent for Paul and listened to him talk about a life of believing in Jesus Christ.” (Acts 24.24) This was fine until it pushed him beyond knowledge and into the question of belief. At that point, everything stopped.
As I listen to the waves crash on the shore, I can see the beauty of last night’s sunset. I know beauty is all around me. As I walk the streets of Sea Cliff, I know I believe that you and I can make a difference. Somewhere between the space between awareness, knowledge, and belief, there is a call to conviction.
The light of dawn is just beginning to show itself. Everything for today is unwritten. We have an opportunity to step into life, bringing awareness, knowledge, and belief into action. What it will look like is up to us.
