Incessant Beeping

I was waiting for my turn at the customer service desk.
I saw him out of the corner of my eye.
By the way he was walking, I knew where he was headed.
When he reached the doors marked men and women, he stopped.

He was shopping with his mother.
It was obvious that he was too young to go into the restroom by himself.
He wanted to go into the men’s restroom on the right.
But since he was with his mother he had to go into the women’s restroom on the left.

This is why you need to go before we leave the house, his mother said a bit frustrated.
Before I even reached the counter, he was finished.
He looked considerably more comfortable.
His mother wanted to resume her shopping.

I passed them on an aisle a little while later.
The young boy was holding a toy.
It was obvious that the toy was the kind that made noise.
It was obvious that the young boy was told not to push any buttons.

He was holding the toy close to his chest.
He was walking behind his mother.
His finger was dangerously close to the button that would cause him to disobey her.
If he disobeyed her he knew that he would have to put the toy back.

We passed each other just at this point.
He smiled at me as he was clutching his toy.
I smiled back.
Then I heard it.

It was an incessant beep.
I thought about his self-control.
I thought about the path he would have to take when he put the toy back.
I realized that the beeping sound was not coming from his toy.

I heard the incessant beeping as I passed the boy and his mother.
Except it was not coming from his direction.
I was glad about that.
I wanted him to follow her directions, and I didn’t even know who he was.

What’s that noise, Mom? He asked.
I smiled realizing that he wanted to know but he also wanted his mother to know.
He wanted his mother to know that he did not press the button on his toy.
He wanted his mother to know that he did indeed listen to her.

I turned my head in the direction of the beeping sound and saw the display.
The display was on the center aisle where items were stacked like a large layer cake.
It was a display of wristwatches.
One watch somewhere in that huge layer cake stack was beeping.

A needle in a haystack to be sure.
Did the watch just happen to beep randomly?
Or did someone actually set the alarm on the watch somewhere in that pile of watches?
The mother walked on without responding but I wanted to say, Good job!

Good job for listening to your mother.
Good job for obeying her even when it was terribly hard.
Good job for being patient.
Good job for not whining when you had to wait for something you really wanted.

Except we don’t say, Good job, enough.
We are very ready to see what is done wrong, but not so ready to see what is done right.
We are quick to reprimand but slow to praise.
We are faultfinders more than encouragers.

I thought of all of this as I passed the mother and her young son.
I thought of all this not pertaining to them but rather pertaining to me.
I have my days.
Every once in a while I have that kind of day.

The kind of day when you wake up out of sorts.
The kind of day when you start out grumpy.
Not grumpy at anyone in particular.
Just grumpy about something deep down that you cannot even pinpoint.

I don’t have that kind of day often but I have it occasionally.
The problem on that kind of day is with me.
It is that kind of day when I want what I want.
It is that kind of day when the persistence of sin is very real and very close.

It goes way back to the Beginning.
Way back to when everything was good.
Way back to when the first man and the first woman walked in fellowship with God.
Way back to the first Divine breath that gave us life.

But the fellowship was broken.
The quiet of the garden was interrupted by a question.
Did God really say?
The repercussions of that question still beep in our ears today.

That incessant beeping.
Did God really say?
You will not surely die.
You will be like God. (Genesis 3:1,4,5)

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

We have our finger dangerously close to the button.
We want so desperately to do what we want to do.
We know there will be consequences of our sin.
Sometimes we just don’t care.

Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ. (Romans 3:21-24)

Obeying the law does not save us.
The law is like the watch that was beeping somewhere in the display.
The law makes us aware of our sin.
The law convicts but the law cannot save.

Only Jesus can save.
Only Jesus has the perfect righteousness from God.
Only by faith can we believe and trust in His righteousness.
Only then are we justified and free.

The law keeps on beeping.
We are convicted, we confess, and we repent.
We who are in Christ hold onto the Deposit that was given to us.
The only thing we long to hear is, Well done, good and faithful servant.