startled

by

Being Startled Can Be A Good Thing

On a good day I’m a little jumpy, but the piece of mail I received yesterday really startled me.

Being startled can be a goo thing

Some people get surprised more than others. I’m one of those people who gets caught off guard all the time. There are times when my secretary will come to my office door and I feel inside like I jumped up and hit my head on the ceiling. 

I’m not sure why I’m like that. It may be when I’m really focussed on something – you know, totally dialled in – and that knock or voice seems to come from out of nowhere. 

Whatever it is that causes me to be startled so easily, as I get older it seems to be happening more. … Please don’t anyone throw me a surprise party of any kind. I could go into complete cardiac arrest! 

I’m not good when people sneak up on me or come around a corner right when I arrive at it. Sure, it’s funny for everyone around to see, but think of the guy who’s already had a heart attack. Don’t purposely take any more years off of my life.

So the other day I got startled in a different way. 

On the kitchen table was an envelope addressed to me. Immediately I recognized it as originating from the government. 

At first sight of it, I gulped and wondered if it was the CRA wanting to review my income tax submission. They refer to it as a tax audit but I don’t like that term. 

I took the envelope in my hand and looked at it a second time to make sure the name on it was mine and not someone else’s. It didn’t matter whose; anyone else’s name would do.

Then I noticed that it had come from Scarborough, Ontario and that is not where any of my tax papers come from or go to. 

Now I was curious. So I opened the envelope, and out came official looking documents. 

I didn’t have my glasses on so I could only read the heading without squinting and holding it in and out to adjust the focus. I made out the first few words of the letter and it said “we are pleased to inform you …”

Those are encouraging words unless they come from the government. Then they can be a set up.

I looked at the heading which read, “Old Age Security”.

What? I just turned 64. How could this be?

Well, apparently the government automatically enrolled me in the OAS benefit and I will start receiving it 12 months from now. I even have a client number. 

Did you get that? I’m a client of Canada’s Old Age Security. Why would they startle me with this news so far in advance of me actually receiving OAS? 

I just kept staring at those words “Old Age Security”. I was squinting and couldn’t believe what I was seeing so I got my glasses. … Maybe that should have tipped me off to the fact that I am getting old enough to be an OAS client. 

Though this letter did startle me, I have a year to settle into it.

Here’s the thing: Do you get startled when something you were fearing turns out to be in your favour, or when something good comes out of bad? Do you kind of jump back when something works out that you didn’t think would? Don’t take those things for granted. Be startled and take note of how God worked in your favour. Make that little heart check and thank Him for His blessings. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What has startled you about God lately? Leave your comments and questions below.

Subscribe to this blog and receive two weekly posts to your inbox.

by

How To Prepare For Being Startled

Some people get startled more easily than others. It doesn’t take much for me to jump when someone happens to show up in my office without me hearing them come in or seeing them out of the corner of my eye.

Scared-Face

I don’t know why it is; I’m not a nervous person. But if someone appears out of nowhere and even says “hi”, whoa, that gets my heart pumping fast.

I remember years ago when I was a youth pastor, we would play a game called “Sardines”. It was a version of hide and seek, where we would turn out all the lights in the church, making it pitch black dark.

One person was “it” and his job was to hide. Everyone else tried to find him and then hide with him in the dark until there was just one person looking for the whole group.

During the game, I took it as my job to scare the life out of the junior high girls. I would go in a room and wait for a pack of girls to enter. They could see nothing but, of course, they couldn’t stop talking.

At a quiet moment, I would yell at the top of my lungs and, though I couldn’t see them, I knew by their reaction they had hit their heads on the ceiling they had been scared so badly … but that was a long time ago.

A few weeks ago, Lily and I were sleeping, pretty much sound asleep, when there was a loud crash. It woke both of us up. I definitely was started, but Lil … I thought she was going to have a coronary!

She couldn’t calm down after that; she was concerned that someone might be in the house. I tried to convince her that everything was alright, but nothing would get her to settle until I checked the house.

So I went to get up and that’s when I saw what had startled us and ruined our sleep. It was a wood valance that was over our closet doors. Apparently, the manufacturers thought that 3M made a double-sided tape that was strong enough to hold up a 6 foot light piece of wood … forever.

For whatever reason, the tape lost its grip in the middle of the night – at 1:57 am to be precise.

Though I wasn’t startled nearly as badly as Lily, being woken up at that time in that way got my mind going and I had a very difficult time getting back to sleep.

I think for Lily, her heart rate shot up so high so fast that it exhausted her and she fell back asleep rather quickly.

The effects of being startled don’t last a long time, but it probably take a few years off your life every time it happens. So my advice is be aware – always.

Here’s the thing: There is going to be a time when either we die or Christ returns that will definitely be startling. It will shake us all to the core, but the only way you will be able to get calm after that, the only way you will get peace is to know Jesus Christ as your saviour. Otherwise, that startle will be just the beginning of an eternity of fear. I suggest you prepare now if you haven’t already. Find out about Christ, who He is, what He did and how He can change your life.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What startles you? Leave your comment below.