False Alarm ?
A harsh ringing sound rang out across the darkened, campus grounds. The clanging reverberated off dormitories and classrooms, resounding across the parkland gardens. Dormitory doors were flung open as light pierced the darkness and students flooded rapidly out and across to the evacuation point. The fire alarm had shattered the peaceful quiet of the evening. My husband, Michael, who was working his way through college, had put in a hard thirteen hour work day fencing and milking cows. He had long since slipped into the deep slumber of rest when the burst of noise resonated across the college campus. His friends, in their haste to exit the building had, one by one, attempted to wake him, shaking him, rolling him back and forth and calling his name, but finally abandoning him to his dream land and his fate as he failed to awaken. The students huddled in groups at the evacuation point, shivering in the the cold night, wondering where the fire was, when they discovered it had only been a fire drill. College deans read off the roll to ensure that all were present and no one had been left behind in a potential burning building. As my husband’s name was called out across the dark night air, a mate answered back on his behalf and my husband slept peacefully on in his dorm room bed, ignorant of all that had taken place.
The years have passed and Michael has since attended many safety lectures on the hazards of fire in his work place environment of aged care. He has trained in evacuation techniques and been drilled in fire safety. He has been taught first response methods, watched fire hazard documentaries and been lectured in the necessary procedures in the tragic event of a fire taking place in the aged care facility. Those fire lectures were compulsory to attend and necessary to learn. He has been the fire safety officer for the facility and has thought about the dangers of fire, talked about the dangers of fire and dreamed about the dangers of fire.
Last night as we lay peacefully sleeping, wrapped in a blanket of darkness and under the covers of warmth, a harsh shrill beeping penetrated our closed, bedroom door and swept across us. Michael did not stir. In my drowsiness I realised our smoke detector was pulsating discordantly through our house. I murmured about the noise to Michael in my stupor, but he remained asleep. I spoke louder to him, now half awake and he stirred slightly. The deafening high pitched sound was still echoing in our room and we lay snuggly under the covers drowsily unaware of our potentially dangerous position. I finally roused Michael to the point of him realising he needed to check on the noisy smoke detector, while I tucked my head down further under the covers and attempted to fall back into my state of sleep. After a thorough investigation was made by Michael, it was ascertained that the steam from a late night shower by our daughter had wafted into the hallway and triggered the smoke detector. With much towel flapping and arm waving by them both they were able to dissipate the steam and quieten the deafening sound.
In our sleepiness we failed to understand the danger we could have been in. We didn’t leap from our beds in frantic haste, grabbing precious belongings on the way, as we exited the house. We didn’t immediately become attentive to fire safety and warily open the bedroom door. Instead, in our drowsiness we assumed it was a false alarm. The Bible talks about spiritual sleepiness. It tells us to awaken out of our slumber, to be alert because the coming of Jesus is nearer than we think. The Bible warns us against spiritual lethargy and calls for us to be active and awake. It calls us to shake off the stupor of the works of darkness and to be awake in the light of Christ and His righteousness. Am I spiritually sleepy… are you? Do I realise the times in which we live and the nearness of Christ’s coming or do I just think what I see around me is a false alarm and His coming isn’t near? I may have read about those times in the Bible, studied them, talked about them, and thought about them but am I awake to the spiritual perils around me or am I asleep in my sins?
Rom 13: 11, 12 Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light.
1 Thess 5:6 For you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.
Eph 5:14, 15 Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you." Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise.
