Daily Devotion - Monday - December 14

I miss the sound of bells.  This time of year the sound of bells makes me feel really happy, homey, comforted, ya know?  There used to be a church just down the street from my home and not a Sunday went by without those bells ringing.  They rang for all the holidays too.  You could hear them around the neighborhood.  They rang to call us to remember that church would be starting soon and we better hurry.  They rang to call us to prayer once we were in church.   In the movie, It's A Wonderful Life, when a bell rings it means an Angel got their wings.   Sleigh bells ringing means Santa's coming.  There are bells for calling the farmer to come home for dinner.  There are bells for calling attention at the dinner table because its time for the Blessing.  There's the bell that the Santa on the sidewalk rings to ask us to share your blessings with someone less fortunate than we are.  There's the doorbell that rings when someone comes to visit with you or bring you some warm delicious soup to make you feel better when you're under the weather.  There's the bell on the elevator that tells you you've finally made it to the floor where your appointment is.   

I love to listen for the bells from the church. Unfortunately, there is too much outside noise for that sound to carry itself to my apartment.  But, in my heart I still hear that sound.  Its the sound of someone calling me as if to come home. Its a sound that blocks out all the noise in my life.  The noise of worry and the noise of anger and the noise of screaming neighbors.  The noise of discontent and the noise of wondering what bad thing is going to happen next.  God can speak to us in unusual ways.  He knows what we like to hear.  We just need to listen- Joyce Miller