First, you need a little of the backstory. I am somewhat deaf...OK, I'm a lot deaf. The technical term is "Legally Deaf." I'm not sure what that would mean in a court of law, but in laymen's terms, I have over 50% hearing loss. I compensate with the use of hearing aides, but they get a break at night.
The mere fact that I heard an alarm should tell you it was loud, but it also makes this story interesting.
I came to my senses just enough to see my wife, Angela, dashing out of the room. While I knew I was hearing an alarm other than my clock, I wasn't sure whether to grab the extingusher for a fire or a handgun for an intruder. We have an alarm for both. This particular alarm was from the smoke detectors, all linked together so that if one sounded, they ALL sounded.
More Alarms
In my dazed and confused mind, I thought I was hearing the burglar alarm. All I wanted to do was turn it off. Keep in mind, I was standing there by myself. Angela had sprung into action to check on the kids (while leaving me in the bed...) Without any clarity as to what was going on, I started keying in the access code for our burglar alarm, hoping to stop the wailing of the alarm.
You can only imagine my surprise when the alarm suddenly got louder. That's because I keyed in the wrong access code. We now had every smoke detector in our home sounding along with the burglar alarm...in the middle of the night. I was sure the neighbors would be over soon with buckets of water and blankets.
As I quickly gained some presence of mind, I was able to turn off the burglar alarm and about 30 seconds later the smoke detectors stopped. Silence never sounded so good.
Just Make It Stop
I made my way through the house to find out what might have set the smoke detectors off and find Angela. As I made it to the kitchen, she was walking out of the girls' rooms with a look of amazement on her face. This is where I get to say there was good news and bad news.
The good news is, there was no smell of smoke; the bad news is, all three of our kids were still in the bed with the covers pulled up over their heads. That's right, smoke detectors let you know there's a fire and to get out, but my three opted for smoke inhalation as their best option. We're obviously not the poster family for emergency preparedness.
God's Alarms
Many times God sounds an alarm in our lives. It's not an alarm we see or hear, but rather it's one we experience. His alarms come in the form of a crisis. Sometimes the crisis bring on tremendous heartache. But other times they are moments that go against the grain of our lives. They are moments of uneasiness. There's friction. There are hard conversations. There's something weighing on your heart and mind and you just can't shake it.
The good news is that He wants to use these moments of uncertainty to create change. Jesus taught that if our lives produced fruit, then we would be pruned so that we could produce more fruit. I'm not a tree, but my guess is that pruning is a little traumatic. Yet, in the end, it's for the good of the tree. The same is true in our lives. Our crisis may lead to restless nights, awkward conversations and some hard choices. However, if we are staying close to God, He will lead us "in the path of righteousness."
So when the alarm sounds in your life what do you do? Are like me where you walk around dazed and confused, making poor decisions? Are you like my kids and you just cover your head and hope it goes away? Or are you like my wife, out searching for what caused the crisis and how you can be a solution to the problem? How we respond to these moments in our lives will dictate how our lives are different when they pass. God's desire is that we find ourselves in a closer relationship with Him. That only happens when we make the right decisions.
How do you respond to the crisis in your life? You can just tell me which of my family you identify with the most. Use the comment box below.
Photo credit: http://snappingkneecaps.tumblr.com/post/28457334435/url-changing
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