The Siren Call (Friday Devotional)

 

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

- 1 Peter 4:8

An ambulance’s siren is deceptively powerful. At first it may seem like nothing more than a loud noise, a signal to other cars that the ambulance is on its was to an emergency. But pay attention the next time you hear one, and you’ll observe a sound with the power to temporarily stop everything in its tracks.

For one thing, the siren overpowers all other noise. Conversations cease, as driver and passenger both crane their heads to look for its source. Music is completely drowned out by the siren’s wail. Whatever sounds filled your car beforehand are totally overwhelmed by the blaring scream of the siren.

Traffic stops too. By state law, the siren is a signal to all vehicles to get out of the ambulance’s way, to pull over if possible or at least to stop moving forward. Even for cars whose traffic light turns green after a long wait, the siren overrules normal procedure, and the whole line of cars remains stock still until the ambulance gets past them. No matter the rush that other drivers are in, the wail of the siren carries a greater urgency.

And, of course, the siren redirects everyone’s attention to its source. The conversation you were having is immediately put on hold. The plans you were making in your head are interrupted. For a few moments, all other priorities are set aside by the shrill cry of the emergency vehicle.

An ambulance’s siren may not seem like much at first, just a piercing noise. But in truth, it has the power to stop the world in its tracks. The Bible tells us that love is similar in that respect—though some label it weakness or refuse to take it seriously, it bears the power to change the rules of our fallen world.

While the world’s rules say that only the strong survive, love dares to look after the weak and vulnerable, to sacrifice your own strength for the sake of someone else. While the world says that you are only entitled to what you’ve earned, love has the audacity to give without thought of repayment, to sacrifice your own abundance so that someone else need not remain needy. While the world insists that you must be your own top priority, love has room for the cares and concerns of others, refusing to hoard power and resources when they can do others so much good.

As Jesus showed us on the cross so long ago, love is more powerful than we give it credit for, capable of turning the tables on sin and overcoming the darkness that can seem omnipresent in our world. Like an ambulance’s siren, it can change the rules of the road in a heartbeat. So don’t make the mistake of dismissing love as weak or useless—the truth is, it can stop the world in its tracks.