When we moved into our home about six years ago, we were told to install carbon monoxide detectors. Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that you'd never notice until it was too late . . . unless you had a detector. So we plugged in some detectors and we never gave them a second thought.
We never gave them a second thought, that is, until last week. On Sunday morning we woke up to numbers on the detectors' screens. What's more, one of the detectors was beeping obnoxiously (or was it beeping noxiously?) calling attention to itself. We probably overreacted by calling the fire department, but our wonderful emergency crew (many of them our neighbors) seemed happy enough to come out and spend some time at our house. They helped us check everything out and they told us to get the furnace guy out as soon as possible.
It turns out that what happened was likely related more to fireplaces and downdrafts, but it was probably wise to check everything out. That "better safe than sorry" philosophy guides my life more than I'd like to admit.
Thinking about what happened last week, though, I'm most intrigued by the detectors and by how quickly I responded to what they were telling me.
Now that I think about it, I have so many detectors in my life. In addition to carbon monoxide detectors, there are smoke detectors in my home. I have so many alarms and warnings on my car that I have to consult the owner's manual to determine what most of them mean. My computer is always reminding me to do something or telling me that I make some terrible mistake. And when it comes to my health, all sorts of happenings get my attention. And many, many more things could be added to this list.
But here's something important that I notice. When it comes to my spiritual life, I can't easily identify too many detectors and alarms. How can I tell, for example, if I'm drifting away from God? How can I tell if I'm growing cold in my walk? How can I tell if I'm getting careless with my faith? As much as I might need a number to show up on a screen - or a buzzer to sound - that doesn't really happen.
In fact, trouble in my spiritual life is most often revealed only by the passage of time. I actually know when I'm far away from God - I just don't easily recognize the early steps in that drift. But if I could identity those early steps, I might not end up so far away!
In truth, however, there are likely all sorts of clues that serve well as early warnings. When I'm far away from God, I can act surprised and wonder how that happened. Or I can pay better attention and admit that there were all sorts of early hints indicating spiritual drift.
Maybe I found that it was getting harder and harder to pray. Or maybe I didn't care quite as much about the needs of people around me. Or maybe I was exhibiting a critical, prideful heart. Or maybe I was acting in some way that even I didn't care for. Your list might be completely different, but you probably get what I'm saying. There may not, in fact, be a buzzer to indicate a spiritual problem in our lives - but I suspect that the warning signs are often clear enough.
Usually, when we end up far away from God, we know exactly how that happened.
And we even know when that started happening.
Carbon monoxide would be tough to measure without a detector. But spiritual problems are pretty easy to see - even when they are just beginning. All we need to do is open our eyes. In fact, there are alarms all over the place.
But here's something important that I notice. When it comes to my spiritual life, I can't easily identify too many detectors and alarms. How can I tell, for example, if I'm drifting away from God? How can I tell if I'm growing cold in my walk? How can I tell if I'm getting careless with my faith? As much as I might need a number to show up on a screen - or a buzzer to sound - that doesn't really happen.
In fact, trouble in my spiritual life is most often revealed only by the passage of time. I actually know when I'm far away from God - I just don't easily recognize the early steps in that drift. But if I could identity those early steps, I might not end up so far away!
In truth, however, there are likely all sorts of clues that serve well as early warnings. When I'm far away from God, I can act surprised and wonder how that happened. Or I can pay better attention and admit that there were all sorts of early hints indicating spiritual drift.
Maybe I found that it was getting harder and harder to pray. Or maybe I didn't care quite as much about the needs of people around me. Or maybe I was exhibiting a critical, prideful heart. Or maybe I was acting in some way that even I didn't care for. Your list might be completely different, but you probably get what I'm saying. There may not, in fact, be a buzzer to indicate a spiritual problem in our lives - but I suspect that the warning signs are often clear enough.
Usually, when we end up far away from God, we know exactly how that happened.
And we even know when that started happening.
Carbon monoxide would be tough to measure without a detector. But spiritual problems are pretty easy to see - even when they are just beginning. All we need to do is open our eyes. In fact, there are alarms all over the place.