Silent Alarm

lone gull

When I entered the bathroom of a restaurant the light automatically switched on. For a brief moment in time my presence mattered; just me being somewhere made a difference.

Later that day when I took our dog for a walk, I walked past a building with an alarm going off and red lights flashing over the door. No one came. Hour after hour the alarm rang and the lights flashed…and no one came.

Sometimes we just need to know we make a difference for one thing, or to one person. Sometimes our life derails, the alarms scream…and no one comes.

It is a comfort to know that no matter where in the world we live or what in the world we do, we matter to God. No matter what alarm bells shrill in our lives, God is never too busy to hear.

“Cast all your cares upon God, for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

bird on rock alone

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At the Drop of a Shell

seagull-eating-crab

Imagine a crab safely hidden amid seaweed and rocks. Abruptly a seagull swoops down, plucks it out of its secure place, carries it skyward, and drops it on a hard surface. The crab’s shell shatters and the gull eats the hapless victim.

Life is like that. Events pluck us out of our safety zones and drop us into hard times, hard circumstances. Enemies may even dive into our lives and pick at us while we are at our lowest ebb.

I appreciate the wisdom and intelligence of a seagull. People who believe animals don’t think have never been around animals. A crab has a hard shell designed to protect it from predators. Hungry seagulls figure out how to circumvent this obstacle.

But while I can respect the abilities of animals—like gulls—to think, I personally rebel against hard times and hard circumstances. I don’t like them. Yes, they stretch us and make us grow—but I’d rather stay the comfortable size and shape I am. Still, God is in control. He is too wise to make mistakes and too kind to be cruel.

So as the hard times and circumstances come—for they will, I will hide my heart hurts in Psalm 144 & 145: “Blessed be the LORD my Rock, my high tower and my deliverer…The LORD is near to all who call upon Him.”

gulls 3