We finally got the key to turn to unlock the door of the church we are living in this month. Upon opening the door, an alarm began to beep.
I looked at Jacquelyn…both of our faces indicated that neither of us had any idea how to get that sucker to turn off. After many attempts at a code to disarm it, I walked away…deciding popping popcorn was a better option in such a situation.
Jacquelyn walked into the kitchen a little later, and talks to me from the doorway while keeping an eye on the front door.
"There are men here! With flashlights!"
"Stop it." I said in disbelief.
"No, I'm serious! It's the police!"
So we walked to the front door. Jacquelyn, in complete panic, which I feel so privileged to have witnessed, shouts, "What are we gonna do?!"
I looked at my beautiful teammate, smiled, and said, "We're gonna open the door."
The door was opened to two Romanian cops…rather tall, good-looking Romanian cops (I have a point to mentioning that detail :)). We were in luck because one spoke English rather well, so they came in and disarmed the alarm. They couldn't leave though. They couldn't leave until the pastor of the church verified that who was there was supposed to be there. When that happened, the police left, and all was well in the world again.
Why am I telling this story? So glad you asked. 🙂
I was replaying it in my head, and just had this 'aha' moment. If you read my last blog, you'll recall that I'd just been in a sort of 'blah' state. I'm not sure the pinpointed event that got me there…and I'm near positive it wasn't just one thing. BUT here's what the Lord showed me in that.
My heart and mind are the things I'm to keep guard of and watch over. As a daughter of Christ, He's placed His Spirit within me…and it acts as an alarm.
When something enters in that doesn't belong, a warning is sounded within my spirit. In this case, that 'something' was frustration, self-pity, self-loathing, and impatience. The warning can be ignored. I'm pretty sure I let those feelings just walk right in and pop popcorn, just like I had done.
And then something arrives that can disarm the alarm…temporarily. That good-looking thing, that knows just the right buttons to push to make the alarm stop making so much noise, knocks on the door. And those feelings we've allowed to stay…welcome it in. They welcome it because the world tells us that they're a great fix for what's causing that alarm to sound. They can even be 'good'…but they will always be temporary.
In the end, the owner of the house…has to call the One who installed the alarm…and declare that what is there is what's supposed to be there. And what doesn't belong does, in fact, have to leave.
After writing my last blog, I received SO much encouragement from people…prayers were offered up all over the world, and I truly believe I'm living the answer to those prayers.
It's like when people heard my alarm going off, they called for me…they helped call out the things that did not need to be there…when I might have been okay with them for awhile.
It reminded me of a passage in Numbers (of course). Moses is talking to the Israelites, and there are so many of them that they have to have a plan of action to notify the people when it's time to do something. So they blow trumpets…different sounds mean different things. And there's one that signals it's time to fight…
"When you go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresses you, then blow an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the Lord…and you shall be saved." Numbers 10:9
So, if you find yourself in a blah…sound the alarm…and declare what is allowed to stay in that house of yours. 🙂
