Testing

This past week the emergency sirens went off near our building. It was a cloudy windy day with a chance of rain, but I had not noticed any threat of severe weather being posted on the Weather Channel. The sirens sounded for a minute or two then stopped… I listened for an announcement of some kind hoping for “this is a test…” but nothing. Later on in day I discovered that the city was just testing the emergency warning system and they were making improvements. Note to city: First improvement – tell us what you are doing! I wonder how many people heard the sirens and headed to a safe place in their home or business and just spent the day hoping everything was alright outside.

On a serious note, it is good I guess that the city makes periodic test of the emergency warning system. It is good that they have a desire or goal to give the public as much warning as possible when severe weather is near by our community. The real question is this – When you hear the siren go off, what do you do? How do you respond to the signal that your life could be in danger? Some of you (hopefully most) take cover and await instructions. Some of you go outside to see if the warning is real and if it applies to you and your family. Some of you do nothing. Some of you just go on about your business as if nothing is happening.

I know a man who ignored warnings to leave town when a hurricane was coming his way. He thought he would just “ride it out”. Well, he rode it out alright by clinging to a tree for over 24 hours after his house blew apart. He said, “Next time I’ll listen to the weather man and leave town. Probably a good idea.

During your life time you are warned about a good number of things: smoking is bad for you, drinking too much could lead to alcoholism or a shortened life, talking or texting on your cell phone while driving is dangerous to you and everyone driving around you, eating too much fast food and fatty foods is bad for your body, eating processed foods is unhealthy, the list just goes on and on. The question is what do you do about the warnings?

Jesus warns you and I about several things that can cause us to struggle in our walk with him. He warns us about loving money too much, loving stuff and material possessions too much, worrying about tomorrow too much, thinking about yourself too much, and the list goes on. The question is what do you do about the warning? The key of course is to keep yourself focused on Jesus Christ and God the Father putting them first in your life. As a matter of fact Jesus said if you keep him first in your life then all the other stuff that your worry about will take care of itself.

So when the real crisis of life arise (and they will) keep your eyes focus on Jesus. Helen H. Lemmel put it this way, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”

Love God. Go Love Others.