We all need an alarm to warn us

I always get an anxious feeling when the phone rings at an unusual time. This morning it rang a 5:40 a.m. I fell out of bed and ran to get it. The voice on the other end said it was our alarm company and that the police had been dispatched because there was activity in our Fellowship Hall.

Sometimes when I get that call I can figure out what happened. One time the Girl Scout Troop came in and forget to turn off the alarm. I got the call on Monday at 5:00 p.m. and I knew what was up. It turned out it was a new leader who didn't realize she had to disarm the system.

This morning I couldn't think of any reason someone would be in the church at that hour. So I got dressed and made the drive. I arrived to find two cars in the parking lot. One belonged to our organist. The other belonged to the new Pastor of the Korean Church.

When I went in I found him sitting in Fellowship Hall praying. He was totally oblivious to the situation. It all made sense now. The former pastor would often come in early to pray before he headed off to work. so I should have known. This new man was probably unaware of the alarm. When I spoke with our organist, she said the alarm had been tripped when she came in and she shut it off after seeing Pastor Seung downstairs.

The mystery was solved. I couldn't help but think of the number of times I had done things without realizing that I had hurt someone or offended them. Most of us try to be sensitive to others but occasionally we get so wrapped up in what we are doing that we develop tunnel vision. That's when we are likely to do something wrong or hurtful. I wish that we all had a built in alarm.

The good news is that God understands and is wiling to forgive. Like our organist today, God surveys the situation and works to make it right. Thank God for his mercy.

Cal