Awareness is a Part of Safe and Sensible Living

Are you SimpliSafe and are you really Safe?

In today’s technology-saturated world, there are many ways for me to be aware. My iPhone sends me alerts and calendar reminders. My broker sends me alerts so I can be aware of changes in the value of our investments. Our 2020 Ford Escape helps me stay aware of vehicles in my blind spot. Our home is equipped with a SimpliSafe alarm system that keeps us aware of many things, whether we are home or are away from home.

SimpliSafe System Increases Our Awareness

I won’t bore you with the details, but it is a great system. It is wireless and easy to use. It knows about motion, doors that open and close, smoke, water in the basement, the temperature in our main living area, and can “see” the front door. If it is “off” it still beeps if a door opens. If it is set to “Home” it starts an alarm countdown if a door is opened. It has the ability to alert emergency responders. It has an ear-deafening alarm if someone enters when we have the system armed. It sends me alerts to my iPhone and can be controlled and monitored from wherever we may be. In other words, it is a good awareness tool. But there is a less obvious awareness that I have.

What Awareness Really Matters?

Many people go through life really unaware of the most important things in life. They are not aware, so they are not prepared. They intellectually know they will die someday, but they aren’t prepared for that event. They either reject the notion of existence after this life, or just aren’t aware that there is a way to know more about what comes next. The answers are available, but the answers provide far more than just an alarm. The answers are based on faith in God’s love and a hope of salvation. That is true awareness and preparedness.

How to Identify a Follower of Jesus

True Christians are people of awareness. They don’t live life mindless about or surprised by sudden destruction.

“Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.” 1 Thessalonians 5:1-10

Five Minute Friday

This post is part of the weekly Five-Minute Friday link-up.

All scripture passages are from the English Standard Version except as otherwise noted.