Check Your Messages!

You know the blip, the beep, the chime … that little nudge from your smartphone or your laptop/tablet that lets you know someone is sending you a message. What is your response? For some of us we can’t wait to see who’s messaging us. For others, it’s just one more intrusion on our time and it can just wait. After all, who wants one more “your auto warranty is ending” message?!

I choose this subject to muse on this weekend because I can get tied to my phone or my laptop way too easily. I can bury myself in reading, obviously writing as you are reading this, or perusing Amazon, Wayfair, Home Depot, etc. It can be intoxicating, bad for the budget and often a complete waste of time.

But…checking our messages can also be beneficial! Here’s a scenario of a friend who told me her grandkids had texted her to let her know they had made her favorite food: gluten-free lemon poppy seed cake and would be coming over in about an hour to enjoy time together. The problem was, my friend often shuts off all her notifications so she didn’t get the ding and the message. So she shuttled the pooch in her Jeep and went off hiking. She did get the cake, the grandkids left her a note that they had it in a box in the garage but she ached for their company as she sat and ate it alone.

“That darn phone drives me nuts” she told me, yet it does come in handy, doesn’t it? Like when you’re lost, have a flat tire, etc. How many of rely on the GPS to get to a place we’ve never been to before, or let’s say on vacation and need directions? Gosh it’s so easy now to find stuff with these magical devices.

But…checking our messages is more than from these handy devices. In fact, we pay more attention to them than checking our messages from Jesus! OK, Jesus is probably not texting you on your phone or sending you an email, but he is messaging to you-all the time!

We are so tuned into the world and its messages we miss the most important ones for our lives. Can’t you just see Jesus nodding his head over the similarities to the messages he sends to us? Jesus IS speaking to us daily, through his Word, through other people he puts in our lives and yes—those “nudges” in our heart and mind about something we need to do or something that just “isn’t right.” How often are we lacking in picking up on his signals?

I’ve had conversations saying, “Oh, Jesus, you really want me so be quiet in speech and slow to anger? Oh, you wanted me to have a conversation with that elderly lady in front of me at the grocery store who made me wait in line because she had trouble with her debit card? Oh, you wanted me to … you fill in your own missed messages. If you’re like me, it’s a long list and I’m not boasting!

I don’t think we are intentionally ignoring Jesus, we have just turned off our “notifications” because we are busy with other stuff of life. But if this is a common occurrence, how many messages have we missed and what have we missed out on? Think of the daily blessings and showers of grace we have from Jesus—when have we missed it on a tough day where we could have needed it the most?

How do we keep our “notifications ON” so we don’t miss his messages? For me, what comes to mind is the moment my feet hit the floor I praise him and invite him into my day. Then there is the prayer factor, a must for daily living in this crazy world. And of all the books you may have on your Kindle, are you reading the Bible—it’s the best book and it isn’t fiction, it IS TRUTH.

This verse from Matthew 17:5 reminds us of God’s word to Peter, James and John at the Transfiguration, where God said very clearly: “While Peter was still speaking, the shadow of a bright cloud passed over them. From the cloud a voice said, “This is my own dear Son, and I am pleased with him. Listen to what he says!” —Matthew 17:5 CEV

I want to have those “sweet encounters” with my Savior, don’t you? Just like my friend and her favorite cake, I don’t want to miss eating it with the dear people who made it for me. After all, it is unity Jesus wants us to embrace and it starts with him first and then all those around us.

So, when your phone or other device pings today to let you know someone is trying to reach you, pause long enough to check your connection with the messages Jesus is sending. After all, we don’t want to miss one moment with Jesus who gave up all his moments to be with us now and for eternity. Can I get an AMEN? … AMEN!