We helped my daughter-in-law move to near Ft. Bragg last April.
My son Mike came home from the Afghan war in August. So she was preparing the home for his return during the next few months
My husband drove his truck, and I drove my car. On the way down,and on the way back, I happened to catch sight of a signpost. It was very odd, because there was absolutely nothing there! No driveway,no home, no business....nothing but the line of tall, tall, green trees.This was on a little two lane country road, in rural southern North Carolina. It was a long straight stretch of road, with nothing on it for several miles.....except for this lonely, little signpost.
While I saw it on the way down, it did not really capture my attention until my return trip. Seeing it away in the distance, on the opposite side of the roadway, it just grabbed me. I even actually did slow down some as I approached it....there was no other traffic,just my husband driving in front of me, so I could still slow down.
And I felt this loneliness.
As I looked at this signpost, I noticed two things about it. One,it was by itself. As I said before, there was virtually nothing but the tall green trees behind it. It stood straight and strong, so I knew it was well set. But it was all alone. The second thing was....while there were two hooks on the underside of the arm extending out, there was no sign hanging there. Poor little signpost, without a message, without purpose, without life.
So, of course, my mind started thinking about these things. How old is it? Who owned it? Why was there no sign? And, most of all,what was it's original purpose? What kind of message could it have held in it's time? And why had it been abandoned? Was it advertising a business? Or perhaps it once held the name of a prominent area family. But where was the house? Could it have heralded the name of a town coming up? Or did it advertise government building, or an inn, or perhaps a restaurant?
My mind examined these and many other possibilities, but at the end,I still had no answers. It is a message lost, among the myriad of messages we receive throughout our lives.
While this signpost was painted white and was pristine in the early morning sunlight, I could still tell it was a much older signpost. It even had ornate rod iron grill work on the top. I imagine it was very prestigious in its time. As a history nut, I was looking for clues about this lonely little old signpost.
As I drove on towards home, leaving the signpost behind me,I began thinking about another signpost I know of. This one was made from wood, and took form of a cross. It was painted crimson and white, from the blood that covers me and from purity of the Lamb of God. And while the little white signpost once held a message, the Message that hung from the wooden signpost still hangs today.....it's the Message of Calvary. It shall never go away, will never wear out, or fall off, or be forgotten. It is the ageless Message of love, hope, grace, and forgiveness.
All of a sudden, the little white signpost was of little importance to me. It is the wooden one that remains in my mind, and in my heart. And it is the one I choose to be like. I want to be a signpost, but not one that is forgotten, and stands by itself with no message hanging from it's hooks. I want to be a signpost like the cross, painted crimson, standing tall and strong, and with a Message that cannot be lost, confused, or irrelevant, ever. This Message is timeless, and will last forever. This is the signpost I choose to be. What about you?
Look at the signposts in your life. There are many, I am sure. Compare their worth to the cross, which is the greatest signpost of all. And then stand up and display that signpost's Message, the one Message the whole world needs to see.
'It was a signpost, a lovely, little signpost...painted white and fresh as the driven snow. But that signpost no longer held its message, nothing hanging from the empty hooks below.
Then there was a Signpost, a lovely, precious Signpost, painted crimson from the blood that covers me. And on that Signpost,that lovely, precious Signpost, hangs the Message of what Jesus did for me, His timeless gift of Grace at Calvary.'
Blessings!
No comments:
Post a Comment