SIGNPOSTS ALONG THE WAY
A number of years ago when I lived in Illinois, my mother periodically saw an eye specialist at Carle Clinic in Champaign. It was an easy two-hour drive from our home and over time the route became very familiar. I could almost drive it with my eyes shut.
We had a toy poodle named Molly who was the love of our lives. When she was a few years old, she developed a limp from hip dysplasia that could be corrected by surgery. Her vet recommended the University of Illinois-Champaign/Urbana veterinary school, so we schedulded an appointment. I checked maps (before desktop computers and GPS!) for directions. In fact, I think I got a "Trip Tick" from AAA.
As we came closer to Champaign, we were directed to turn off exactly where Mom and I did for her eye appointments. The farther we went, the more familiar the route became. It was identical to how we drove to Carle Clinic! Only then did I pay attention to the signs along the road that signaled the way to the vet school!
In the many past trips we made to Carle Clinic, I never had noticed the signs leading to the U. of I, but they were there all the time! I just had not been looking for them. Everything along the route was so familiar I didn't concentrate on details.
Life is much like that. Along the route of life, God posts signs directing us to Himself. The signs vary. Some are clothed in an influential person who gives us good advice or who lives so well, they unmistakably are a child of God. Their presence invokes our admiration, engenders questions about what makes them so different in such a good way and leaves an indelible impression on our memory.
Or, God provides a good job we weren't looking for or expecting. We may see the doctor because of a lump and he tells us it's benign and nothing to worry about. Perhaps it's a good book or even a sentence someone speaks that hits deep in our spirit and causes us to pause and think about heaven and God.
It is so easy to take God for granted! It becomes commonplace to overlook His kindnesses to us and call them circumstantial or coincidence. No matter how hard He tries to get our attention to focus on Him, His goodness blinds our eyes to the Giver, and we push Him aside to get to the gifts He imparts to us.
Dear Church, body of Christ, wake up! Worship God, not His gifts and miracles. Give Him thanks for all He does for you moment by moment. Read His word and let it speak to your inmost soul. Let it cleanse you of all unloyalty to Him. He gave us Jesus to be our Savior, and the depths of suffering He endured for us cannot be understood or comprehended. He is more than worthy of our notice!
Notice the road signs! Pay attention to the route to heaven God is carving for your life. Walk carefully. Thank Him for pointing you to Himself. God is worthy of all our praise!