"Here's Your Sign!"
It took me two attempts this morning at the nearby Texas Target to get the sign right! Monique has been doing her daily walk at this store for years now while we are on vacation and visiting family. It is a convenient and spacious setting for her to begin the daily count toward her goal of 10,000 steps!
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When I drove into the store parking area, I noticed that the upright portion of
the “Stop for Pedestrians” crosswalk sign was lying flat on the pavement. It
was obvious that it had already been run over by cars passing through the
marked caution zone. Apparently, no one had cared to put it back on its stand.
My Boy Scout instincts kicked in as I approached the store entrance. I couldn’t
pass this poor sign again and not intervene. I reached down, picked up the
separated information piece, and took my foot and gently pressed it down into
its place perpendicular to the base. It took seconds to accomplish the task!
Just as I had completed my mission and turned toward the entrance, I heard verbal
kudos of appreciation from a nearby patron walking alongside me, “Love it! A
Good Sign Samaritan!” she remarked and laughed. I laughed too and thanked her
for the affirmation!
Later when exiting the store, I noticed a problem with my good efforts
regarding the sign. It was not turned in the right direction. Pedestrian
traffic could read it coming out of the store, but not the drivers of their
various-sized vehicles that were quickly
passing through this caution zone. They were the intended recipients of its
directives. The solution took less time than the first attempt and only
required the simple effort of turning the base ninety degrees. Now, the
mission was finally accomplished!
An information sign is of little use if it cannot be read! This sign warning
drivers to slow down and stop when there are pedestrians crossing to enter the
store is worthless lying flat and being run over by vehicular traffic! It does
no good at all! An effective sign or message board must be observable to the
intended audience as well! I fixed one problem with the signage that day, but
in my hurry created another one. My oversight was a bit stupid!
Jeff Foxworthy is one of the most respected and popular stand-up comics of our day. He is also a Christian. I remember one of His humorous routines early in his career. It involved the things we do and say that are obviously stupid. Foxworthy had a list of these ridiculous things that could easily have his audience belly laughing. He would punctuate each illustration of something crazy with a dramatic pause, and then say, “Here’s your sign!” Everyone got the message. It was the “stupid” sign! 😊
Jesus often spoke of His intention that believers should be open and transparent as God’s messengers of transformation. There are references of Great Commission commands in all four gospels and the book of Acts (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20, and Acts 1).
Christ made the plan clear on a Galilean hillside one day as He pointedly illustrated every believer’s mission in the Sermon on the Mount. He said, “Your lives light up the world. For how can you hide a city that stands on a hilltop? And who would light a lamp and then hide it in an obscure place?” After those questions, I could imagine the Lord saying, “Here’s your sign!” And then Jesus continued, “Instead, it’s placed where everyone in the house can benefit from its light.” (Matthew 5:14-15, TPT).
In conclusion, Jesus drilled the point home, “So don’t hide your light! Let it shine brightly before others, so that your commendable works will shine as light upon them, and then they will give their praise to your Father in heaven.” (Mt. 5:16).
How is your life a shining light of Christ’s gracious gift of salvation? Who are the individuals that need you to share with them God’s plan of transformation? Let’s “light up this world” by word and deed in praise to Almighty God!
Mike Keppler, retired pastor,
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