What if I could speak all languages of human and of angels? If I did not love others, I would be nothing more than a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. – 1 Corinthians 13:1 (CEV)
One of the tricky small things that we have needed to adjust to in moving back to the U.S. is that grating buzzer sound made when you use a chip credit card that tells you to remove your card. It is not that we did not have chip credit cards in Malaysia. In fact, when we first moved there it was a challenge to charge our purchases because the U.S. had not yet introduced chip cards but many stores in Malaysia required it already. We ended up using ATMs and cash most of the time until U.S. cards caught up. However, the card readers do not have that buzzer sound, and so hearing it is an adjustment for us. It is such a jarring sound, and it gives the impression that you’ve done something wrong and your card has been rejected. The first several times I heard it I was shocked and ready to defend myself –I knew that my card was good so why was it rejecting me?!?!? Since then I have gotten more used to it, but I still have a small instinctive negative reaction to that sound.
A few weeks ago, I bought something at Wegmans for the first time. Their card readers do not have that buzzer sound. Instead, they have a pleasant chirp. All four of us commented on how much better that sound made us feel. The different tone seemed to make a real difference in creating a relaxed atmosphere. I must admit, though, that a few weeks later on, I was purchasing something there again this past week. This time, when I put my card in and the chirp came to tell me to remove my card, I did not notice it. I completely missed the pleasant sound in the midst of everything else I was doing. My brain had tuned it out already. As jarring as the buzzer sound is, I notice it every time. With the soothing tone, I quickly forget about it.
Isn’t that so true for our lives, as well? Negative words and tones stick with us, while we quickly forget the positive ones. We focus on the one or few negative ideas and get worked up and defensive about them, but the numerous positive voices around us soon fade from our ears. That does not mean that they are not there, but we stop noticing them. I think this happens socially in tense times like around an election. Even more, though, I think it happens with God’s presence around us. God continually comes to us with love and acceptance, and yet we are more aware of the times that God seems distant. God’s grace, mercy, and love fade into the background, while the struggles and negative experiences stick in the forefront of our minds. My prayer for all of us is that we might be able to remain attentive to God’s movement and presence around us rather than giving in to the negative voices that too easily dominate our attention.
Pastor Eric