Have You Ever Noticed?

Have you ever noticed that when you're first in line at a red light alongside someone else in the other lane(s) that many times they won't start out on a green until they see someone else start out?

Have you ever noticed that when there's a line of cars being held up by someone going more slowly than normal, often the “slow” vehicle is one with a handicapped tag on it?

Have you ever noticed that sales clerks seem to “perk up” a bit when you call them by name and engage in some polite conversation with them?

Have you ever noticed that when a grocery store marks down an item, often it is near it's end date...but they don't tell you that part of the deal?

Have you ever noticed that hospital corridors and rooms are sometimes just about the noisiest places on earth with all of the carts rumbling by, people chattering nearby, and televisions blaring in rooms and waiting areas?

Have you ever noticed that people riding together in elevators seldom recognize one-another, except maybe to say, “what floor?” Otherwise, it's eyes down or eyes ahead.

Speaking of elevators, have you ever noticed that the etiquette of allowing women to enter and leave a car first, and allowing all to exit a car before anyone gets into a car seems to be going the way of the dinosaur?

Have you ever noticed that the more hurried you are, the more people in the line ahead of you stop and visit with the clerk or cashier?

Have you ever noticed that children tend to behave in accordance with expectations, and that they will behave much differently at school (for example) than at home...primarily because of differing expectations?

Have you ever noticed that all vehicles have a “seat crack of no return” where anything unfortunate enough to fall down into that crack cannot be retrieved for at least a year and a half?

Have you ever noticed that the sun generally makes an especially brilliant and colorful sunrise or sunset at times when your camera is far, far away?

Have you ever noticed just how prevalent “There you go,” and “Here you are,” have become for store clerks as they complete a transaction?

The corollary to the above “Have you ever noticed” is the noticeable disappearance of “Thank you for shopping with us,” and one's surprise anymore when he hears it.

Have you ever noticed that the “acceptable” amount for tips for service in a restaurant have climbed from 15% to at least 18% and beyond?

Have you ever noticed just how little you the customer have to say about how businesses deal with you...that the pendulum has seemingly swung in the direction of the businesses always being right instead of the customer?

Have you ever noticed that people who write blogs called “Have you ever noticed?” usually don't have very much important to say?

What is Really Important

Sometimes I read something that gets a message across better than I ever could, even though I'd been thinking about that topic or message for some time.  Today, I ran across a post by Paul Tripp, Christian author and teacher, about why we are Christians...what we expect God to do for us as a result of our following Him.
I suspect many of us follow Christ because we want God to be some kind of cosmic vending machine that dispenses blessings, healing, and wealth to us in this life.  In this post, Tripp reminds us of what is really important in our relationship with the Maker of the universe.

He was an exhausted and discouraged husband and father. He said, in so many words, "I pray, read my Bible, and go to church. I struggle to do what's right, and people tell me to trust the Lord. But God just sits up there and lets it all happen. What good has being a Christian done for me!?"

A different lady, unrelated, was married to a difficult man. Her dreams of the perfect marriage had long died. I was trying to help her understand her identity in Christ and the love God had for her, and she finally had enough. "Stop! Don't tell me any more that God loves me. I need a husband who loves me!"

Without a doubt, both of these people were suffering from the realities of life in a broken world and from the sins of others. But more than that, they were suffering the consequences of their own poor theology and misplaced desires. In other words:

To the degree that we base our hope in something or someone other than the Lord, to that degree the hope of the gospel will not comfort and satisfy us.

In John 6, Jesus confronts the crowds who have been following him with that truth. He says, in summary, "You are pursuing me out of a selfish motive, in the hopes that I will meet your physical needs. You're excited about me, but for the wrong reasons."

Let's be honest with ourselves. We too sometimes follow the King for the wrong reasons. Yes, we're excited about salvation and redemption, but we're equally as excited to experience physical blessings and a comfortable life, straight from the hand of God.

What does this have to do with your words? Remember, if "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks," then what we say to ourselves, to others, and to God will reveal what we truly desire from the Lord.

If you were to listen to an audio recording of what you have said this past week or month or year, what desires would you discover? What theology would be revealed about how you understand and interpret God?

Are you following King Christ because you hope he'll deliver you the good life? Are you asking him to only provide you with blessings in the here and now?

Life today can be good. It's not wrong to have physical blessings shower down on you, nor is it sinful to desire comfort. But our Savior is a Savior, not a genie.

Let's open our ears and listen to how we speak, aloud and internally. The reflection questions below are intended to help. May what we hear convict us and mold us more into the likeness of Christ!

God bless