About a month ago, a page came across my pager, alerting me to a trauma code one from a motor vehicle accident.  Part of its description stated that the patient “arrested on the scene,” and this was followed by the word “compressions.”

Upon my arrival to the ED, I met up with the social worker Sister Cecilia and exclaimed, “Sister, can you believe it?  The police arrested this driver on the scene of the accident and then had to do compressions on him!”

Trying to hold back some of her laughter, Sister Cecilia explained, “It means cardiac arrested on the scene!”

“Ohhhh!” I responded.  “I should have known that.”

It is truly amazing the false interpretations that individuals make when receiving various forms of communication.  No matter how hard one tries, he/she can never absolutely guarantee that the receiver will correctly interpret the intended message.

One “receiver” who will never misinterpret our message is the Lord, for He truly knows our deepest desires—both spoken and unspoken.  So, let’s go to Him now in prayer:

O God,

Guide us all in our communication over the next hour.  Help each speaker to share his or her message clearly, and open our ears to hear these intended messages.

In Your name we pray,

Amen