Note: On Tuesdays and some Sundays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.
Signals. Generally, we obey them. The light turns green, we go. The fire alarm goes off, we look for the nearest exit. Our hearts flutter strangely during the night, we go to the doctor. The bell chimes at a concert, we return to our seats. Signals protect us from harm. They let us know something is changing.
Consider the ways in which the Lord is a signal in our lives. His 
light shines in our soul every time we struggle, showing us that He is with us when we feel alone. He’s behind the alarm we feel when we are tempted to sin in the way we interact with others. He’s in the fluttering of our hearts when we experience true joy, celebrating with us. He’s in the chime of the bells during Mass and in so many seasonal songs, telling us that something important is about to happen.
Childlike or not, we ignore signals at our own peril. We can live, sometimes live very well, in this world for a time if we run red lights, figure the fire alarm was a system test, write off the heart fluttering to insomnia, and wait until the lights go down in the concert hall to sit down. It’s a risky way to live, and it usually catches up to us, one way or another. The better and ultimately easier path is to be attentive to the Lord’s signals… and obey.
