The Stolen Cell Phone
“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”
Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.”
- Joel 2:12-13 NIV
Ten or so track seasons ago now, my oldest daughter had her cell phone stolen during a local track meet. Suddenly all her pictures, contacts, and ability to communicate with her world was gone.
For me, it would have been anger-some, frustrating and disappointing. For a teenager, it was all that and then some. I felt bad for her and helped her investigate the situation and look for it (hoping it was just misplaced and not actually stolen.)
With modern technology, the phone was useless for the “new owner”. It was locked down and rendered incapable of usage. Nothing good could come from it except for maybe using the parts or the case.
And… I felt bad/sad for the one who did the stealing.
So much so, that I sent the phone a text message asking for them to return the phone. Knowing the message would come across the screen if they looked at it before it was completely shutdown. The message reminding them that God knew. And God would forgive. And the rightful owner would forgive and forget, if the phone were returned.
In today’s passage, God is saying much the same to the people of Joel’s era.
The message is meant for us today as well... Return to God.
Instead of worrying and rending our clothing, we must rend our hearts. We must inspect our hearts and return them to God. Over time, we have allowed our hearts to be slowly taken by the world. Tempted by the enemy. Even taken by our own fleshly desires. Yet, God reminds us again and again to “return to Me”.
He wants us to return our hearts to Him. He wants us to return to Him with all that we are for He is gracious and compassionate and loving and slow to anger... He is worthy of our praise and our worship. He is worthy and able.
He stands and waits with the open arms of a loving Father.
“Return to Me”.
Keep the Faith... Carpe Diem
