/ Gentle Reformation

The Signage of Your Life

Whilst traveling in the USA last month I stayed for a few nights in accommodation provided by a church.  It was basic, but I genuinely appreciated it as it saved the Scottish church the price of a hotel.  (I say that not because the Scots are tightfisted, but because we're trying to invest our kingdom resources as prudently as we can.) Anyway to get back to my accommodation in the church.  After a long day of travel, and it was long, I arrived at my destination and was kindly led through a myriad of corridors to the room where I would be staying.  This corridor was one of, I think four in the building, and it alone had seven doors on it leading to a variety of rooms. Three of those rooms had signage on them.  One had a sign marked 'Ladies', another 'Gents', and the third had a bright pick notice with the words 'Shower Room' on it.   But the room I would be staying in had no sign saying what it was.  Well to be fair it had a sign, but not on the door. When I woke up the first morning, having had a decent 6 hours sleep in the bottom tier of a wooden bunk, there it was on the wall facing me inside the room.   Peeking out from behind the open door which I'd left ajar.  A bright pink sign, with two words on it in bold, black, capital lettering 'BUNK ROOM'.  A sign that definitely told you where you were, but a sign which by its location was serving no purpose.

As I lay there on the bunk, wrapped up in the blankets wondering if I could eke out another couple of hours sleep, my mind turned to the public visibility of Christ in me.  Yes I preach Christ, and I strive to pastor as an under-shepherd of Christ, but in my daily living is the signage of my life in Christ tucked away inside me, so that only those already in the Church 'room' can see it.  It was a sobering moment.  But God was merciful.  He filled my heart with joy as He reminded me of how,  even in the tiredness of the previous day's traveling, He had enabled me to show forth His ownership of me.

Brother and sister in the Lord,  as you walk the way of godliness today; as you publicly declare today, in what you say and do that you are Christ's, give thanks to God for his everlasting love and patient faithfulness to us.  Give thanks to our Father in Heaven, that even though we are not perfect, He does enable us to show forth the everyday reality of our new life in Christ.

P.S. I removed the pink sign from inside the room and put it on the door, (facing out into the corridor).  I simply couldn't leave it where it was, what would have been the point!