Natasha Robinson

I Corinthians 6: 19-20 (NRSV)

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were brought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

Acknowledge the Alarms  

The morning before last I awoke to a piercing sound ringing in my ears. My eyes shot open as I tried to acknowledge what I was hearing. It took several minutes before I realized that my carbon monoxide alarm was beeping. It wasn't that I was subjected to any danger, but it was to alert me that I needed to change the batteries. A couple of weeks ago, I changed the batteries on one alarm but not the other. So when I realized what it was, I figured that I would just go back to sleep.  

As I closed my eyes to resume my sleep, the sound continued. I thought I could ignore it and just fix the problem later. But the sound continued and its intensity grew. Finally, I threw my comforter off of me in a fit of anger and stomped down the stairs as I furiously searched for batteries. Once the problem was solved, I could rest. Or could I?  

You see, my response to the alarm was foolish. Here was something that I had installed in my house to alert me to unseen danger. And when it was trying to do the job that I wanted or to alert me that in order to keep doing the job, it needed maintenance, I grew irritated at the interruption and frustrated that I had to do something about it NOW lest the problem grow.  

We all have alarms going off in our lives. Our stomachaches and high blood pressure are telling us to eat healthy, slow down and love ourselves. Our need to reroute where we go because we may see that person who hurt us tells us we need to invest in forgiveness lest we are robbed of peace and joy. Our bank balances are telling us we need to save more and spend less. Our unexplained headaches are telling us to rid those things and those people who bring confusion and foolishness in our life. Our restless spirits are telling us that we are about to be spiritually derailed unless we get back on track. God is telling us that we are busy doing things for Him but too busy to spend time with Him. If we do not address the alarms, what was put in place to assist us will be ineffective as the piercing sound will pale in comparison to what we will have to deal with because we chose to ignore the alarm because it was too inconvenient a time to address it.  

Let's start clarifying in life what we need to be doing and how we need to be doing it so that we can live our best lives and be more of a blessing to others.  

Prayer 

Thank you Lord for sending your eternal alarm, the Holy Spirit, to show us the truth. Now let us heed to your call as we care for our bodies and our lives as you care for us. Empower us to surrender our wills for Yours as we seek to serve You and your people. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Thought for the day 

God sends us alarms to keep us safe from all harm.