VISUAL SIGNS OF DANGER surround us everywhere, beginning with products we consume and that give warnings of every type: «Contains nuts». «Can cause nausea»; «For children older than 4 years»… Then there are traffic signs that warn us, for example, that going into a curve at a certain speed is dangerous, and since we do not want to lose control of the car and end up crashing into a pole, we obey. We see the sign, we understand it, and we act inconsequence.
The same thing happens in various public buildings: «Danger. Slippery floor»; «Restricted area: X-rays»; «Authorized personnel only.» It also happens in private properties, where we find signs like this: «Beware of dog.» If you are afraid of what a dog could do to you, you do not go close. When we see certain signs, we immediately know what to do. That is why they are very important: because the information they contain gives us the power to make correct decisions. The problem is that we are sometimes so distracted with what is happening in our own car or with the thoughts that crowd in our heads that we do not pay attention to the signs on the road. That is what happened, for example, to a teacher.
Looking for a specialist’s office, this teacher arrived at the hospital. She fol. lowed the signs, but ended up in the morgue. How was that possible? Easy: a telephone call here, a glance there at those who were on the road her attention was distracted and she ended up precisely in the place that least answered her personal concerns. You know, the same thing could happen to us in the spiritual sphere: we can be surrounded by signs and believe that we know them and are respecting them, but we could be living in such a way that we are distracted. The result can be catastrophic with regard to our salvation.
Sometimes, we do not see signs of spiritual danger in our lives that are absolutely clear, such as these:
Excessive love of money that makes us focus on working and producing at the cost of trusting and praying.
Spiritual pride that leads us to believe that we are doing well, that we do not need anything since we belong to the church that has the truth. Does any of this sound familiar?
Contemporary ideas on which we base certain decisions, but that lead us far from the truths of the Bible,
Friend, pay attention to the signs; those of the Word of God and those of your own life.
«But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come» (2 Timothy 3:1).