Signs

You see them along the road as you drive. Some give you directions, some inform, and some warn you of danger. You have to pay attention to these signs every time you go out on the road since, if you don't, you might run right into some major problems, like getting lost, going too fast, or slamming into another car. All it takes is one wrong turn or ignoring a stop sign or going up the wrong way on a one way street.

My daughter, Hannah, is learning the importance of road signs as she navigates the rules of the road in preparation to get behind the wheel. It's amazing how much one pays attention when the rules become personally relevant.

My mom always likes to take a road sign and give it a whole different application using her sense of humor and a little imagination. Like the red arrow you sometime see that shows you a different route to take: Detour. Well, Mom says that's just letting you know they're taking us on De Tour somewhere. Where would you like to go?

That's a good question. It's always given me food for thought. And whenever I see that red arrow, I always smile since I know what Mom would say. Life is full of detours and signs.

Like the four important signs that the Great Lion, Aslan, gives to Jill Pole after she and her friend Eustace enter Aslan's country in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair. He gives them a task to find the lost Prince Rilian of Narnia who has been enchanted by the Emerald Witch and needs to be set free. Of course, Aslan doesn't tell them exactly what to do, just to memorize and follow the signs and do whatever they say.

But when Jill and Eustace allow the very same witch to catch them off guard by sending them in another direction, they end up in a very bad state that they must get out of or end up being eaten by giants in Man Pie!

When they find themselves in the Underworld and are welcomed by the man who is to marry the witch and listen to the plans she has for taking over the land of Narnia, they finally face the final sign. They are to take a great risk and set this man free from the Silver Chair  because he asks in the name of Aslan.

But once he is unbound from the Silver Chair, (the same one that has kept him under the enchantment), he turns around to destroy it, unmasks himself and introduces himself as the prince they came to find!

It truly pays to follow the signs, both on the road and in life. We are all given a task to do, a vision to discover, a destiny to fulfill. In other words we have a specific purpose for our lives. But we always need to be on the lookout for the signs, the ones that guide us and give us direction. We all have an inner compass, an intuitive voice, a spiritual light that shows us what to do.

We see the synchronicity in our lives with events, experiences and the people we meet as we're walking in the right direction because we are paying attention to and following those vital signs. We can always tell when we're on the right track. We see things come together unexpectedly and in a timely fashion.

And our inner voice and heart are in sync; we know where we're going. We may not know exactly how we'll get there, but we have faith. And we're willing to go where those signs will lead us.

Even if it's into an unknown place, like the Underworld or into a city we've never been to.

It may take courage and perseverance and focus, but we're willing to do whatever it takes. Because that's what we're here for.

We'll keep going until the next sign gives us a new path, a new direction.

Where is your 'road' sign taking you?

&#169 2012 by Dawn Herring