Soul Alarms

How many different alarms do you have in your life? I was thinking about all of the alarms that I have and I counted nine that could be programmed to go off when needed or that go off when they are tripped. That isn’t even counting the reminders that go off throughout the day. How about you?

I have an alarm on my watch, beside my bed, on my phone, on my computer, on my iPad, smoke alarms and our septic system. There are also those that require my attention like the burglar alarm and fire alarm at the church.

Some people have burglar alarms at their home and in their cars. Some people have C0 and C02 alarms, Radon alarms, propane and natural gas alarms on top of the ones I’ve listed.

When one of those alarms go off, most people scurry around trying to figure out how to turn the thing off and then what to do about the alarm. Recently, Nathan and I had just finished an 8K race in downtown Seattle when Barbara called to tell me that our septic alarm was going off. When I got home, I diagnosed what I thought was wrong and the next day called Eamonn, the septic repairman, from Celtic Risers. It was the pump in our pump chamber that had gone out. Though it was not cheap to fix the pump, the alarm saved us a bigger repair cost because we were quickly able to take immediate measures to prevent further damage.

What about ‘Soul Alarms’? Do you ever have alarms go off that tell you things are not as they should be with your soul? Does an alarm of say, anxiety ever go off? How about worry, fear, doubt, hate, jealousy, arrogance, pride, self-pity, depression, discouragement … the list is almost endless. Do you do something about the alarms or do you just ignore them? In your life is there an alarm that goes off more than other alarms? Are you aware when the alarm is going off?

I know that when I get overly angry, short in discipline or sensitive to disagreements, my soul is sending out signals that things are not well. Sometimes I give immediate attention to the alarm. Unfortunately, there are times that I ignore the alarm. Ignoring the alarm is never good for me or those around me.

This week – pay attention to your particular ‘Soul Alarms.’ It will be best for you and for those in your life.