Press 0 for an Emergency This Instant!

Press 0 for an Emergency

The phone on the wall in the fitness center has a huge sign above it: "Press 0 for an emergency."

What does that mean...really? If I wanted an emergency, I would dial zero?

What about the hair gel that says "For curly hair."

Does that mean that if I have straight hair but I want curly hair, I would use this product? Or vise versa?

Or, driving down the road, what about that yellow diamond-shaped sign that says "Shoulder work." Does it really know that I’ve been driving for hours and should relax my tense muscles, starting with some light shoulder rolls?! Or perhaps there’s a massage therapist at the next pullout, waiting for my business.

I’ve been known, in my own head, to communicate with striking clarity. I say exactly what I mean and describe with brilliant accuracy that which I want to express. However, I’ve also been known—by people in the REAL world—to communicate things that are completely contrary to what (I believe) I was actually saying. Why, WHY can’t people just live inside my head where everything makes sense?!

Do you ever feel like you must exist on another planet than those with whom you interact? Maybe things make sense in your own mind, but when you go to express yourself in words, the other person misses your meaning entirely. Perhaps you despise miscommunication…but miscommunication LOVES you.

Have you considered that Jesus Christ was often misunderstood by His best friends (see below)? Have you noticed how He never let that frustrate Him or cause Him to terminate any of His relationships? Do you think that, should you ever in the off-chance be misunderstood again, you could be the bigger person, apologizing for being unclear rather than blaming for misinterpretation?

"They kept asking, "What does he mean by 'a little while'? We don't understand what he is saying." John 16:18 (emphasis mine)

“If then I do not grasp the meaning of what someone is saying, I am a foreigner to the speaker, and he is a foreigner to me.” 1 Corinthians 14:11

“You will say the wrong thing if you talk too much—so be sensible and watch what you say.” Proverbs 10:19 (Contemporary English Version)