Wake up!

I really hate being honked at. Being honked at makes me feel so... judged. Like someone somewhere bottled up some hatred, stuck it into a steering wheel, and suddenly released a little in my direction with a loud, irritating noise. I've often wished for a different system. Like shooting a suction arrow with a message. Or maybe we could have several different car horns: one to say hello, one to gently encourage another driver to pay attention, one to quickly warn someone of danger. This one-honk deal sounds so angry to me. I know that honking is important for communicating with other drivers. I just don't like it.

God honked at me the other day. I was living my life with all its ups and downs. I was on a downslide, but so what? We all go through it. We just need to accept the fact that life is sometimes awful; keep trucking through and it'll get better eventually. Probably. If it doesn't, you just have to try to put on your happy face anyway and do your best to... HOOOONK!

WHAT!?

Suddenly I was alert. God? God had gotten my attention in a way that jolted me, startled me, woke me up, and (to be perfectly honest) both irritated and hurt me. What was that for? Despite all that God said to me about dreaming bigger and living for him, I had once again fallen into a pattern of mediocre living and negative thinking. I was cruising through life 10 miles/hour below the speed limit, living below my potential, and not noticing or caring. I was upset by God's way of reminding me who I am. I couldn't figure out what to do with myself, but I thought that it might be a good idea to worship. I played and sang through several songs and realized that God really had no other option. He could have just let my attitude go, but it would have been dangerous, and he loves me! He had to let me know that I couldn't go on like I had been. I'd been falling behind on worship, prayer, and reading the Bible. Talk about a bad combination! I've really stepped it up recently, and I feel so peaceful and content. I hate that it took pain to get me back on track, but I'm grateful for where I am now.