A week or so I was given an alert. “Be careful to watch…”
I listened. I heard. I understood. In the chaos that followed, I forgot. I know I do not have an excuse. I have lots of reasons, many valid. Work demands, commitments, and even follow-ups to funerals all figure in. Even as I scroll down the list, noting a few that still need follow-up, I cannot find anything that prevented me from being careful, watching, and taking action as needed.
I know it there are other areas of my life where I am behind. I have missed a self-imposed deadline to provide feedback to a tech development team. I am running late on giving a potential client a proposal. The list goes on. I know each is important. Even if I limit myself to my top ten priorities, there are several to-do items that are on the verge of being late or missed.
I know it is helpful to be reminded. While it does not shift responsibility, it provides a fresh view of life priorities. It can be hard to hear but it is good to listen. I wonder how far I am willing to extend this. Am I willing to be open to the alerts others share with me, regardless of the subject matter or closeness to my heart? Will I only listen to those that are close to me? What about strangers that I do not really care for? Do their views matter?
An individual I respect once observed that he listened to every voice on the chance that God could be using that individual.
“I do not know if it is the voice of God. I know it could be and so I listen with my heart and mind.”
As I remember his words, I hear the alerts in my life differently. An old request is now mine. “Keep your [God’s] eye on me; hide me under your cool wing feathers.” (Psalm 17.8)
Alerts are invitations to action, gateways to living out my dreams. I hope to act on them today.
