Don't be alarmed...

This might be 'alarming' (pun intended), however I must say that today, this half cup full kinda girl's cup is running on empty. Two words: Alarm and frustrating. From the moment I woke up, to now, alarms have haunted me. Let me share...

I awoke this morning to the sound of my alarm going off. Not just one alarm...but two. (I am a little bit obsessive compulsive, and like to set two alarms in case one chooses to not go off for some reason.) At 7:00am, I hear the sound of my more pleasant and harmonious alarm from my cell phone which I strategically place across the room so that it requires me to get up to turn it off. What a drag. It always seems smart as I fall asleep, but my perception changes when the warmth of my bed begs me to stay. Shortly after, around 7:15am, alarm number two goes off which is my radio-clock on my bedside table which plays a variety of music from Q 97.5 FM. In order to ensure that I wake up, I turn this alarm up as loud as it can possibly go. Now do take note; I am a morning person and enjoy getting up early but this morning was different, and I always know when my alarm is frustrating me, that it is going to be a long day.

Not only did I awake with a frustration with alarms, but my frustration has reappeared as my day comes to an end. I am babysitting tonight, and not just for the evening, but overnight. I always dread the overnighters as I know that it is going to require me to pursue a relationship with the house alarm, which never seems to work in my favor. So, around 10 o'clock I turn on the alarm for the night, feeling confident I have done everything right. Wrong...just 2 minutes later I hear the loud siren from the house alarm and it informs me that I apparently pressed the "away" button instead of the "stay" button. This is followed by a phone call and a Security officer who comes and checks my ID and asks me for the required payment of 50$. (You can see I am quite familiar with this process...this is not the first time and I doubt the last). For your entertainment this story has an added twist because when I opened the door for the Security officer, I neglected to turn off the alarm and therefore, set off the alarm a second time. This again was followed by a phone call but fortunately for me, the Security officer was standing beside me when I received the phone call. In the words of Charlie Brown...'Good grief.'

As I ponder the frustrations of the day, I notice that I am not alarmed that at the end of a frustrating day, that my heavenly fathers arms are wide open, ready to comfort me and forgive me for my compliancy to the frustrations and the grumbling and complaining I have allowed myself to participate in today. For that I am thankful, and I look forward to a good nights rest, and a new day tomorrow where I hope to find friendship with the alarms that have sought to attack me today and day where I can rejoice in the opportunity I have to wake up on a Sunday morning and worship my God, Savior and King in community with so many whom I love.

Until tomorrow...