Reminders: Signs of the Times

Ole was the pastor of the Norwegian Lutheran Church.  Pastor Sven was the pastor of the Swedish Covenant Church just down the street in their small town.  One day they joined forces and were seen pounding a sign into the ground.  It read, “DA END ISS NEAR! TURN YERSELF AROUNT NOW BAFOR IT ISS TOO LATE.”  As a car sped past them, the driver leaned out his window and yelled, “Leave people alone, you Skandihoovian religious nuts!”  From the curve they heard screeching tires and a big splash.  Shaking his head, Rev. Ole says, “Dat's da terd one dis mornin'.”  “Yaa,” Pastor Sven agrees, then asks, “Do ya tink maybe da sign should yust say, “Bridge Out?”

If only there were signs that would warn us when we are headed for trouble.  Such signs could save us from all kinds of mistakes that cause us to go blindly forward when we should take a different path.  Even when there are signs, we sometimes ignore them.  We think we know where we want to go or what we want to do.  

A mother of a teen-age daughter was trying to teach her daughter about how to handle boys who were a little too forward.  She said, “Be kind but firm.”  What the daughter took from that was that she should understand boys’ natural desires, but it was up to her to be strong and not to give in.  That advice fits many situations.  When someone wants us to do something that is not right, we need to be strong and say, “No!” kindly but firmly. 

The Bible is full of good advice and clues about how to live, but they don’t always seem clear to us.  We don’t always have time to search for the right answer when a troubling situation arises.  Having good values firmly in mind is important.  It’s like having a set of “Bridge Out” signs that pop up when temptations and right-or-wrong decisions arise.  If you don’t have warning signs in mind, find a church and Sunday school where Bible teachings can help instill and reinforce them. “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41