Signals

Signals – are you paying attention

Tim Connor

Life is constantly sending us signals – from other people, our inner voice, our body, memories, dreams and yes our spirit – God talking to us.  The question is – do we listen and pay attention to these signals or do we just keep on keeping on in the same routines, habit patterns and agendas?

I can tell you that at times I have heeded these signals and at other times I have either failed to honor them or just paid no attention to them.  I can also admit that when I did the latter, sooner or later things got messed up in some way that could have been avoided if I had just listened and acted appropriately.

How about you?  Getting any signals today?  This year?  This circumstance?  I’ll be you are but again the question is – do you trust and honor them or just pretend they don’t really exist?

There are all kinds of signals – career, relationship, health, financial, spiritual and just how to live life better, with more contentment less discouragement and even easier. What are some of the many signals that are trying to get our attention as we go through each day?

Worry is a signal. 

Regret is a signal.

Stress is a signal.

Pain is a signal. 

Anxiety is a signal. 

Impatience is a signal.

Failure is a signal.

Frustration is a signal.

Anger is a signal.

Jealousy is a signal.

Disappointment is a signal.

Fear is a signal.

Inner peace is a signal.

Success is a signal.

Joy is a signal.

Happiness is a signal.

I could go on for pages with these examples, but let me ask you, do you think there is a common denominator in all of the signals we are sent regardless of their source?  The answer is yes – they all want us to live life with peace, joy and contentment and they keep trying to get our attention asking us to learn from them and change our path, direction, mindsets or behavior.

You might ask – can any of these things really care? If yes, why do care, aren’t they just emotions or outcomes?  Yes, they are, but you can either believe that they have no higher purpose in your life or that they were given to us for our higher benefit in some way.  I choose to believe the latter.  And why?

Its simple folks – we are not just some random combination of trillions and trillions of cells that were thrown together in some haphazard way creating life as we know it.  There is a higher purpose to life.  Now, if you don’t believe in God, that’s OK, but let me ask you – if there is no higher purpose to life than temporary and short lived pleasure, money or success does it really matter what you do while you are here?  Probably not except that your decisions, choices and actions will contribute to the quality of your life while you are here. If you do believe then you accept that God is in control, (we make our plans, but he determines our steps) and your part is to listen, obey and trust.

Signals are like road signs or even detours. You can ignore them (at your expense) or you can heed them and get to your destination sooner or even easier.  If this is true, why do so many people ignore the signals they are sent to them day by day even minute by minute?

Too many reasons to list but I believe they fall into one of the following five categories;

Arrogance – the attitude that you always know best.

Ego – the attitude that you are smarter than everyone and everything else.

Self-righteousness – smugness, conceit, narcissism, superiority.

Control – The need to always have control over everything.

Impatience – the desire to have everything now.

See a common thread here?  Think about it.

I’ll close with a question – do you regularly and consciously pay attention to the signals sent to you or are you just in auto-pilot when it comes to life and your past, present and future?

“If you are afraid of your future, you don’t have a present.”

Peterson