Summary: Charlie pushed open the door that had a sign with Dr. David Brown--the name of his father--printed on it. As he entered the waiting room, the office nurse smiled at him. "Hi, Charlie," 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 in the car, headed for 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 usually 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. As he turned into the driveway, 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 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. How About You? When was the last time you gave yourself a spiritual checkup? Are you interested in learning more about God and what pleases Him? Do you talk with Him--do you thank Him for your blessings and tell Him your problems? Do you enjoy being with other Christians? Is all you do acceptable in God's sight, or are there things you'd rather He didn't see? Take regular checkups of your spiritual life. Ask God to show you if something is needed to improve your spiritual health. Today's Key Verse: Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord. (Lamentations 3:40) Today's Key Thought: Give yourself spiritual checkups
