A Message from Home Office
by Cara Garrity
Program Transcript …
Have you ever left home without your wallet or cell phone? Or any item that you almost always have with you? I think most of us can relate to the wave of panic that ensues when we have forgotten something that was vitally important to us.
In the popular movie, “Home Alone”, Macaulay Calkin’s character, Kevin, accidentally gets left at home after his large family frantically leaves for the airport for their holiday vacation. A power outage the night before their trip turns off all their alarm clocks. Chaos ensues as the overslept family rushes out of the house as quickly as possible to meet their morning flight.
The family gets whisked off to the airport in two full-sized vans to accommodate all the brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, and uncles. As they arrive at the airport, they make a mad dash to reach their flight. The family arrives at the gate just in time. The doors to the plane are shut as they find their seats.
Once on board, and in the skies, Kevin’s parents breathe a sigh of relief and start to relax. After a few minutes of destressing, Kevin’s mother gets a sneaking suspicion that something is missing. As she starts to recount her steps, she frighteningly realizes what it is and screams, “KEVIN!!!”
In the busyness of life, it sometimes happens that we can forget to factor in God’s goodness towards us and fail to notice all the many blessings that he has bestowed upon our lives. So many things vie for our attention that it’s easy to get distracted as we rush through our days doing important things.
One such figure in the Bible who had a problem getting distracted and forgetting what was most important was King David. He truly needed to remind himself of all the ways that God had been faithful to him. You can imagine that David was no stranger to busyness. As king, he had an entire kingdom to run, and the pressure was at times overwhelming.
It seems like David made a discovery that something was missing – that something in his life had been forgotten. With that in mind, David says the following:
Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 103:1-5
Losing our perspective and forgetting about God’s good nature can leave us in a bad place. A place that King David was familiar with. He was no stranger to life’s trials and tribulations. Perhaps David wrote this when he recognized his vulnerability and realized his soul needed to think differently. David had to remind himself of God’s good nature and hold onto this belief despite his circumstances.
We too get tempted to look at the negative things in this life and wonder where God is in all of this. If you watch the news daily, you can’t help but notice how the vast majority of the stories are negative. Even if there is something positive, the news will find a way to bring out the bad.
But here is the deeper truth that cannot be touched by our circumstances or our busyness or forgetfulness. The truth about who God is and how he cares for us never changes. Even when we sometimes lose sight of it, because we get lost in our rush to live and work and recreate.
If you feel overwhelmed, stressed, and burdened beyond your limits.
Stop and take a moment to reflect on who God is and what he has done for you and for all of humanity. Think about the things David mentions – forgiveness, redemption, love, compassion. Give your soul the refreshment it needs by basking in the goodness of God, the life you have in Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, who is our comforter.
While we may at times temporarily forget God’s faithfulness to us, we can be assured that he will remain faithful. In his kingdom, we will never get left home alone.
I’m Cara Garrity, Speaking of Life.