A few days ago, my wife described to me a concept she’d read about called a ‘Sacred Echo.’ The idea is that when God communicates with us, the really important messages get repeated over and over – through books, songs, the words of a friend, TV, a sermon at church, a random email, etc.

I explained to my wife that I knew exactly what she meant, having experienced it several times in my own life. But I use a far less elegant term to describe it – ‘God Smack.’

God often has to smack me upside the noggin with a message before the light bulb clicks on above my head.

My life can get so busy, and I can get so focused on insignificant things that I sometimes fail to hear the information being communicated through the world around me. Can you relate?

Most of us have probably experienced moments when an undeniable thread runs through our lives, mending together a patchwork of seemingly random events or encounters. And when we take pause from the disarray of our days to process the pieces into a whole, we realize we are being called to action.

Most often it’s a subtle echo. Occasionally it’s a smack to the head.

One such undeniable calling in my life has been humility. I have been hit with this word many times, and for good reason. I don’t practice it nearly enough.

Like a stooge, I sometimes have to be dragged by the ear and receive a poke to the eyes before I take notice of the need for change in my life.

In the past decade, I’ve received a couple of messages so undeniable that only a fool would fail to heed them. My sister passing away at a young age and my wife telling me she thought we would be better off divorced shook the foundation of my world.

Both helped me see how little I sought to please anyone in this world other than myself. And both were catalysts for major life changes.

HUMILITY – right upside my temple – twice!

These events hurt deeply and led me to realize that I don’t ever want to sit around waiting for a blow to my dome to prompt me to grow.

I am reminded daily of my need for humility when I listen, and that’s what I’ve been trying to do more often -listen.

I tune into my wife’s needs, listening for unspoken cues. I look for how my actions are reflected in my children, for areas I need to change as a parent.

Perhaps most importantly, I respond to internal nudges towards more selfless acts. Well, sometimes I respond to those nudges, and sometimes I still pretend I don’t hear them.  I’m a work in progress.

The world around us whispers to us daily but often gets drowned out by our busyness and self-focus. My suggestion – be vigilant. Keep your ears and eyes open.

What instruction or calling is echoing through your days? Listen for it. Act on it. Save yourself from a smack upside the head.