My Grandmother wouldn’t drop it. She probably mentioned it to me every time I saw her. But it was because she loved me enough to try and keep me out of the briars and thorns in life.
Finally, when I was thirteen, I saw the sign my Grandmother talked about all the time. And, at last, the sign made sense to me. The signpost was in the shape of a cross. And I’ve never been sorry I took that “road less traveled.” I’ve never been sorry that I followed where the sign led me.
But I won’t even begin to tell you I never took any side roads. Because there were plenty.
To this day, I still wonder off into the briars and thorns.
But, after a few cuts and slices, I hurry back to the road to continue my journey.
And the “road” I’m talking about is where I walk with my Heavenly Father. Jesus is always there to put His arm over my shoulder and comfort and instruct me about my misguided selfish deeds. When you get right down to it, all sins originate in selfishness. Self says “I want this” and “I deserve that.”
And, as I’ve said many times, self never gets enough.
Not so coincidentally, here we are, less than two weeks away from Christmas. And you probably know this is the biggest “shopping season” of the year. The time of year when selfishness seems to diminish. At least a teensy teensy bit. And it’s so sad that most Americans (and people all around the world) don’t really know or acknowledge how or why this phenomenon even happens.
But if you’re a business owner, who gets “back in the black” this time of year, you can thank Christianity.
Scratch that.
You can thank the One the Christian faith is named after.
A prophet named Isaiah wrote about the birth of Jesus approximately 700 years before He was born. He said “the Lord Himself will give you a sign“. And he also said “the virgin shall conceive and bear a child, and shall call His name Immanuel”.
If that prophecy had not come true, Isaiah would have simply been one more nut case. And I doubt anyone would even know who he was or remember him anymore. But that prophecy came true. And many, many more as well.
I saw the sign Isaiah talked about when I was a very young boy. Maybe 4 or 5. My Grandmother made sure my brother and I would go to church, and each week she’d nudge me to “go give your life to Jesus”.
And when I was thirteen, I took Grandmother’s advice.
I made the decision to follow Jesus. He is the sign, pointing the Way to eternal life. But He doesn’t force anyone to go. He beckons. And He doesn’t belittle. He asks. And He doesn’t demand. He loves. Plus, He doesn’t lie.
If you’d like a sign…an answer to the problems of your life and to the troubles of the world, stop looking. Take the bull by the horns and get out of those briars and thorns. And start loving. Your Creator is waiting.
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