HERE'S YOUR SIGN

I really enjoyed our church sermon this morning, so of course, I have to blog about it. The pastor talked about the disciple, Thomas, who at first did not believe the other disciples when they told him Jesus had been resurrected and appeared to them. Basically ol' Tom said, "I won't believe it until I see it."

Well, a few days later, Jesus came to his disciples again, and this time Thomas was with the group. Jesus held out his hands for Thomas to feel the nail holes as a sure sign that he was indeed Christ and he was risen from the dead. Thomas replied that he didn't need to feel Jesus' hands; that he believed.

The point that the pastor was making this morning was that it is okay to need a sign sometimes. It's okay to need reassurance. Faith is a tough thing, and just because we may need a sign now and then, doesn't mean we doubt God or are losing our faith.

She ended by saying, however, that it is our job to look for and recognize the signs. She said, "It is our job to get under the spout where the glory comes out."

It reminded me of that story about the man who climbed to his roof as flood waters rose around his house. A person in a life raft came by and asked the man to get in, but the man declined saying, "My God will save me." Then the Coast Guard came by to rescue him but the man declined again saying, "My God will save me." Then a helicopter came, but the man refused a third time. Eventually the man was swept away and died. When he got to Heaven he asked the Lord, "Why didn't you save me? I put all my trust and faith in you." And God replied "I sent two boats and a helicopter; but you refused them all."

I am big on signs. I'm a pretty analytical person; I like facts and evidence. When I ask God to show me where he wants me to go or what he wants me to do, I need big blinking neon signs saying

"Go this direction"
"Left Turn Only"
"Stop"
"You are on the right track"
"46 miles to go"
"Exit 250B, for Gas, Food and Starbucks"

I look for them everywhere - in fortune cookies, the timing of a phone call from a friend, a song playing on the radio, horoscopes, books I read, people who come into my life, Yogi tea bags. . . I guess that's just how I work. I constantly look for signs of God listening to me and talking to me, answering my prayers, walking with me or carrying me piggy back. And you know what? I always find them. He's always there.

I understand that God wants us to have faith in Him and believe that he sent Jesus to walk among us and die for our sins and rise again so that we may have eternal life in Heaven. All this we must believe without seeing. But it was nice to hear Thomas' story (John 20:24-29) from the perspective of needing a sign of reassurance now and then.

So, I like you Thomas. And I'm sorry you got a bad rap as a doubter; but you teach us a good lesson. I'll see you under the spout.