“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Colossians 3:1–2)
By Michael Stapp
Sometimes God speaks loudest through the smallest and most frustrating or annoying things.
At work, we bought a refurbished MacBook to save money. It showed up looking fine, but the keyboard only worked half the time, the audio cut out, and the Bluetooth kept dropping. So, we sent it back under warranty. When it came back, it looked brand new, it had a different serial number, and it was shiny and flawless on the outside. I thought: “Finally, it’s fixed!” But within minutes the screen started flickering and every now and then it just went black. Brand new problem, same frustration.
Then one day one of the most annoying things known to man happened: a single, relentless fly would not leave me alone. I’m in a coffee shop trying to work, Zoom calls, proposals, strategies … and this stinking fly kept buzzing in my face, landing on my head, my arms, circling me. I swatted it away a hundred times, and it came back for more.
And as much as I wanted to laugh it off, the Lord pressed this in my heart: Even when things look shiny and new, they still flicker. Even when we think we’ve fixed one problem, another shows up. But even though things will glitch and the noise will buzz, Christ doesn’t. His light never flickers, his peace never cuts out, and his truth doesn’t scatter … it anchors.
Pray
Lord, when the noise threatens to steal away our focus help us to remember the loudest voices don’t get the final word. You do.
Reflect
When Paul wrote to the Colossians, he knew distractions would always buzz around us. How can we quiet our minds during those times and look higher?
Discuss
Even though life has glitches and noises that buzz around us, Christ never flickers. Share about a time when he anchored you in your time of need.
Michael Stapp is a Hoosier by birth, Hawaiian by heart, and Minnesotan by love. He’s a self-professed Salesforce nerd. Michael and his wife, Sarah, live in Burnsville, Minnesota, with their seven children.