Does your dog or cat come running when it hears the can opener?

Does your husband?

I guess we all tune in to sounds that are important to us, don’t we?

Parents are able to zero in on the specific cry of their child at a playground. They’re able to filter out the sounds of other children to focus on their own.

If you drop some coins on the floor, everyone’s head swivels toward the sound. Our ears strain out the other ambient noises in the environment and prick up at the sound of money tinkling.

Obviously, our family and money are things that are important to us.

But what about the messages that God is trying to send us?

Do we tune in to those with as much attention?

Or are there so many distractions in our lives that we’re unable to focus on the character of God and His love for us?

Maybe we need to adjust the signal-to-noise ratio in our lives.

Technically, this ratio expresses the strength of an electrical signal carrying information to that of interference.

In our lives, the “noise” represents all the busyness, diversions, and earthly pursuits of our lives. Many of these things, such as our jobs or families, are necessary to focus on, and it’s right that we do so.

But some of the things that consume our attention are side issues, distractions, technology or entertainment, and serve only to interfere with our reception of the “signal.”

The signal is the truth of God’s love, sovereignty, forgiveness and power. It’s the facts about God’s character and what Jesus has done for us.

Sometimes we allow all the noise of hectic modern life to crowd out these abiding truths about God. Even our own anxious thoughts or mundane preoccupations can drown out timeless messages from Scripture that we’ve learned over the years.

The result is that our lives can become consumed with worry instead of worship. We focus on our problems instead of on our Provider. Our signal-to-noise ratio becomes skewed.

What’s the solution?

Amplify the signal!

Boost your reception of what God wants to tell you by focussing on Scriptural truths. Tune in to what Jesus has done for you and dial down the distractions and distortions of modern life.

When faced with worries, amp up the volume on the promises of God.

If today’s headlines look scary, home in on this station:

“(The righteous) will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD.” (Psalm 112:7)

If you feel like you’re facing challenges alone, fine-tune your dial so you can better hear this:

“The LORD your God goes with you: He will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6b)

If worries about your family or your health keep you up at night, let this blast from your boom-box:

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

Above all, focus on the fact that Jesus loves you so much that He died for your sins. He offers you this forgiveness freely, and wants to spend eternity with you in Heaven. He will guide you and strengthen you through all of life’s difficulties.

Jesus is your Signal.

Everything else is just noise.

© 2021 Lori J. Cartmell. All rights reserved.