Mama was a little agitated the other day so we went for a
drive. She doesn’t get out much these days, choosing to stay in bed most of the
time, so while her energy was up, I thought a trip to the beach would be nice.
Even though it was cloudy with spots of rain, the weather
was warm enough to crack the windows and enjoy the breeze. It was a little
crowded with families still on Christmas break, but I finally found a parking place
with a view of the waves rolling onto shore.
“Mama, look at the colors of the water. There’s gray and
then the sun’s shining through the clouds right there where it’s green. Then it’s
gray again.” This should have interested my mother, the artist.
“Only four-wheel drive vehicles beyond this point.” She
proudly read off the sign beside us.
“We’re not going any farther. Look, there’s the ocean. See
the waves?”
She continued reading the signs, like this one:
Do we do this? God reveals to us the beauty He’s created and
we turn away to read man-made signs. Don’t get me wrong—signs are good. They
warn us of danger and show us the way to our destination, but if signs are all
we seek, then we’ve missed the point.
Mama persisted in reading to me and I really don’t think she
even realized where we were. Eventually it started raining and we moseyed on
home.
We don’t have her excuse, we can refocus our lives and our
attention. Let’s not get so caught up in the signs that we miss the ocean.
