Blaring Noise

When I entered the gym this morning, I could hear a television blaring its program. That’s really unusual. Wonder what’s going on? I thought as I deposited my keys in a cubby. The closer I walked to the treadmills, the louder it boomed. 

The treadmill I planned to use was the first one in the row.  On the next one was a man with headphones covering his ears. It was his television that filled the gym with noise. 

I made a U-turn. Back at the desk, I asked for help. 

“Do you hear the loud television? It’s over by the treadmills. Can you please fix it?”

I followed the employee back to the treadmill section.  That’s when I observed an interesting conversation. 

The employee walked to stand beside the man on the treadmill. He tried talking to him, but of course his words were drowned out by the television. When the man removed his headphones, the employee asked him, “Are you hearing the television through your headphones?” 

“I am, but I’ve had to keep turning it up. I could barely hear it at first.” And then he noticed. The television in front of him was flooding the room with sound. “Oh. I don’t think my headphones are working.” 

That’s when a life lesson popped into my head. We can go through life thinking we are connected to the Source, but we can barely hear it. So, we just keep trying to fix it on our own. And the noise around us gets louder. Everyone is very aware we have a problem. We are oblivious. 

That’s when someone comes to stand beside us and question how we are doing? It may take a while for the truth to sink in. And it may be more than one issue. This morning it was a combination of the headphones and the connector to the television. An expert needed to be brought in. 

I know an Expert. He has helped me with so many issues. I lived for years with my headphones on; blaring to others I had big problems. But I was oblivious. 

Are there blaring noises in your life? Do you hear them? 

“God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.” Psalm 51:10 (MSG)