NOVEMBER 12,  Lamentations 3:40

Charlie pushed open the door that had a sign of “Dr. David Lee” – his father – printed on it. As he entered the waiting room, the office nurse smiled at him. She said, “Your dad is almost done for the day. He’ll be with you in a few minutes.”

Soon Charlie and his father were driving home. “Dad, I heard on the radio that the president was having his annual checkup today,” said Charlie. “When people come in for a one of those, they feel okay, don’t they? So how do you tell whether they’re sick or not?”

“Well, we check a lot of things and may run some tests,” said Dad with a smile. “Generally, if the vital signs are all good, the patient is healthy.” “Vital signs?” asked Charlie. “Like what?” “Oh, things like blood pressure, heartbeat, and lungs,” said Dad. “I also check the patients’ height and weight and look at their ears, eyes, nose, and throat. I ask if they have any complaints at all. If I suspect there’s any problem, I order other tests.” “And that’s why a checkup is so important?” asked Charlie. “Because there might be something wrong even if you feel good?”

Dad nodded. “The sooner illnesses are detected and treated, the better the chance of a cure,” he said. Dad added, “There’s another kind of checkup that’s even more important – and it’s one we can give ourselves.” “We can?” asked Charlie. “What is it?”

“A spiritual checkup,” replied Dad. “We should take a look at the vital signs of our Christian life. For example, we should see if prayer and Scripture reading have become regular habits. In general, we should have a positive attitude toward the things of the Lord and toward other Christians.” “So… like if we’re mad at some of them, that’s a bad sign?” asked Charlie. “Or if we don’t want to witness or go to church?” “Good thinking,” said Dad. “Those signs indicate that we need to repair relationships as soon as possible – with God and with others. We need to ask God to reveal any areas of sin in our lives.” Dad smiled at Charlie. “Let’s both give ourselves a spiritual checkup today.” Thoughtfully, Charlie nodded.

Thought: When was the last time you gave yourself a spiritual checkup?

Prayer: Father in heaven, thank You for today’s reminder that I need to have spiritual check-ups. I need to know if I am interested in learning more about You and what pleases You, I need to examine if I like to talk with You, I also want to check if I enjoy being with other Christians. If there is any area I can improve, please help me. This is my prayer in Jesus’ name, Amen.