Final Alarm

Just last Saturday we had a houseful. The highway noise is rarely heard, but there were sirens. The sirens were loud, and many. Our guest asked if we had heard the sirens often in our location and my husband answered yes, and we moved on to our evening.

A few years back, whenever I heard a siren or came across an accident I would pray. I would pray for those involved and effected. I would pray for the hands of the diligent emergency workers and for wisdom of doctors if they became needed. I would pray for the peace of the individual in crises and for the recovery to be swift.

Since living here, I am so so sad to say, we had become complacent to the sound of sirens. We hear them all the time, and most often they lead to nothing overly unsafe. We hear sirens for the typical traffic ticket or small incident as well as the big.

My heart breaks to report, on this particular Saturday, at this particular time, a Junior High School student had been in an accident. He had lost control of his car and the result was a fire, that was too much for the emergency personnel to contend with.

When I heard the news my heart broke, for the parents, our community and the young life lost. I do not know the boy personally, yet I know so many that knew him and loved him and regardless…. one young life lost, no matter who, can be a tragedy.

I felt so bad, that we had went on with our guests and did not stop at that moment to pray. I do know from experience prayer makes a difference. I also know that the difference is not always what we hope to see, but it is worth lifting our petition to the Lord. To stop and step out of ‘our’ moment and take time for the moment of others.

The sirens and the missed opportunity to pray for this young man, the emergency workers, the parents has left me reflecting on one simple fact now.

How often am I complacent to the call of God? I have heard the Holy Spirit (the voice of the Lord) and I have become so accustom to the fact that we have time or I will get to it, whatever ‘it’ may be, that I do not always act immediately.

If the Lord called me to leave my city, as He did Lot and his wife to flee the city of Sodom and Gomorrah, would I flee? Would I heed that final warning? Am I truly listening or just so used to the alarm of many, that amount to nothing,  that I am not hearing the fullness of the call from the Lord himself.

It is time to truly evaluate. How is the Lord calling me, to be all he created me to be and am I ready to listen, to actually hear and take action?

I do not want to let opportunities to make a difference, slip through my fingers. I find the ones He loves, far too valuable, and I know He hears the cry of His children. I choose this day to hear the cry of my Lord and say… “YES I hear you!”