Signs

Last week we played a game called "Signs". Each of us had to choose a sign, much like baseball signs, that would be our signal throughout the game. When our sign was sent to us we had to perform our sign to show we accepted the signal followed by performing someone else's sign and then the game passed on to them. You could compare this to a game of Hot Potato. Throughout this process there was a person in the middle trying to catch the person "holding" the sign at that moment. Lots of laughs were definately had by all.

Some of us had very subtle signs that could be done with the person in the middle looking directly at us and still not notice what we were doing and others had very obvious signs. These obvious signs had to be done quickly to avoid being caught. When I reflect on the fun we had it brings me to think about the signs that God sends into our life, some are subtle, others are quite obvious and some are all together overlooked.

A rainbow is probably one of the most sporadic signs that God gives us. When people see a rainbow they tend to point it out to others and wonder at its beauty because we don't see them every day. But do we also reflect on the true meaning of the rainbow: "I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. All the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh." Genesis 9:15

Doves are another sign that most probably don't see often and probably don't seem like a great sign but with further investigation it is easy to see these simple birds hold great meaning. In Genesis chapter 8 we see that a dove is the bird of choice sent by Noah out of the ark to find dry land. Over the course of 14 days Noah sent the dove out 3 times. The first time it returned with nothing, the second time it returned with an olive branch and the third time it did not return because it had found dry land! The flood waters of 40 days and 40 nights were now gone, Noah and his family were saved and were about to receive the covenant of the rainbow. Another great encounter with the dove is at Jesus baptism. The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove, what a wonderful site it must have been to see the spirit of God in such visible form.

The rainbow and dove are obvious signs of God that Christians throughout history have been able to see. Then there are other signs that are not so obvious but are around us every day. Fresh tulips in spring, the first robin in March, leaves falling in September, a paycheck arriving later than expected but the day before a bill is due, a card in the mail on an especially low day; these are all signs from God that we tend to overlook. So I challenge you, look beyond what you see and reflect on what it means, look for what God is trying to tell you and rejoice that sometimes he doesn't speak with a loud voice but a still, small one.