“Do not disturb.”
You’ve seen the sign hanging on hotel room doors. The sign means that the occupants want themselves and/or their things left alone. Maybe the occupant needs to sleep in. Perhaps he or she has valuable items that they do not wish for others to see.
Whatever the case, the message is clear. Be quiet and stay on your side of the door!
Our Personal Do Not Disturb Sign
How often have you wanted to display a Do Not Disturb sign prominently on your chest? We prefer an undisturbed life. We want our plans to succeed, our families to grow, our businesses to profit, and our health to stay strong. If we were to get our way, nothing bad would ever come our way. No one or nothing would ever cause us heartache or disappointment.
But that is an unrealistic expectation isn’t it? All of us experience some disturbances now and then. My good friend Bobby Simpson (Higher Ground Softball) reminded me that those disturbances are not necessarily bad things. In fact, we find our faith grows better in the fertile ground of challenges and trials. (See James 1:2-4, and 1 Peter 1:6-7). Sometimes, as Bobby says, we need disturbing.
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God Ignores the Do Not Disturb Sign
In Revelation 2:3-4, Jesus dictated a letter to the Church in Ephesus. They had left their first love and Jesus ignored their Do Not Disturb sign. He told them to remember from where they had fallen and repent.
Additionally, God ignored the Do Not Disturb sign on the door of the church at Rome. Through Paul, He reminded them that they needed to “wake up from sleep” and impact their community. (Romans 13:11)
Moreover, in his first letter to the Church in Corinth, Paul TWICE ignore the church’s Do Not Disturb sign. (6:5 and 15:34). They lacked discernment to settle disputes between each other, and many of them lived in open sin. They needed disturbing.
When We Need Disturbing
There are several times we need someone to ignore our Do Not Disturb signs. Let me suggest four of those times to start us thinking.
- When we are complacent. Complacency occurs when we grow satisfied with ourselves and see no reason to grow. When that happens, we need disturbing. (Colossians 1:10)
- When we are apathetic. Apathy is complacency’s first cousin. It takes complacency a step further down. Whereas complacency grows satisfied, apathy on the other hand couldn’t care less one way or the other. When we find ourselves in apathy’s grip, we need disturbing. (Hebrews 2:1)[Tweet “When we find ourselves in apathy’s grip, we need disturbing.”]
- When we settle for mediocrity. Mediocrity finds satisfaction in exceeding “most.” Mediocrity does not like the challenge to excel. When mediocrity settles in, we need disturbing. (Colossians 3:23)
- When we live in rebellion against God. We rebel against God when we fail to obey His Word. When we fall into sin, we need disturbing. (James 4:8)
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Where Do You Need Disturbing?
Does God need to shake things up a bit on your life? Complacency? Apathy? Mediocrity? Or even rebellion? These are but a few. Feel free to hit the comments tab and share more ideas. May God awaken us from our slumber and challenge us to move forward in our faith!
[Tweet “When we fall into sin, we need disturbing.”]