FORCED TOWARD A NEW NORMAL

A flashing light ahead! Law enforcement sets up check points around holidays to catch substance abuse drivers. Most of us don't mind such traffic delays since they help to prevent accidents.

Life also has sobriety check points. They are reality checks. God may be behind them working out His loving purposes for our good. 

It might be the sudden death of a loved one that forces us to become acutely aware of our own mortality. Or a doctor's serious prognosis will signal that life as we have known it will drastically change. Perhaps a simple notice in our mailbox that we now qualify for AARP benefits makes us realize that it's time to reshuffle our dreams and goals. It might be the graduation of a child, a wedding, or a milestone birthday; perhaps a near accident that leaves us shaken; the deterioration of our health, or becoming aware of the diminishing of our mental powers. Or a hard look in the mirror, a catastrophic storm that leaves our prized possessions in shambles, a poor investment or a financial crash that wipes out our life savings. A spouse suddenly deserts the family, a job is lost, or a simple step on the bathroom scale may be a sobering shock for some. Any of these things might force us to face a new normal. The list of potential taps on the shoulder is long and unique to each of us.

Without these sobriety check points in life we tend to drift along. As negative as they may seem, they force us to face reality and may allow us time to correct our course. “So teach us to number our days that we may present to Thee [Lord] a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

TAP ON THE SHOULDER

God tapped me on the shoulder.

Busy, distracted, I postponed:

“Wait a minute.”

Time slipped by.

Detoured by trivial, temporal tasks,

I deferred: “Later.”

Time dashed by.

I mistook urgency as priority,

but it was not of the essence

of eternity.

I put God off again:

“Another time.” But

time flew by.

Dismayed with life's futility,

distraught by mundane toil,

distressed by swiftly fleeting days,

I realized then

that time was running out.

God got my attention

by reminding me finally

through my fragility

of my own mortality

and dispensability.

God pursues me

relentlessly and lovingly

by blessing me lavishly

or through affliction and adversity

whatever is necessary

to turn my heart

toward Eternity.