May We Help Others SEE You

“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved”
This weekend brought warm temperatures which beckoned all of us out of the house. We each found projects to work on outside, even my 7 year old daughter. She asked her daddy for two pieces of wood, a hammer, and a nail. She then quietly went to work making a sign. I did not think much about it as I soaked in the warm rays of the sun while picking up branches and pinecones. After 30 minutes or so, my daughter asked me for the “big giant hammer with the black rubber end thingy” aka the mallet. I gave it to her and she skipped off happily. After another several minutes, she called me to see what she had made. She proudly displayed the sign in the picture above. She looked up at me with that “can you believe I actually made this!” look on her face, and waited for my response. I must have hesitated a moment too long, because she said, “mommy, now people will know where to go to get in our house” (duh!!! was hidden in those words).
I must confess, that I never thought our front door was that hard to find: we have a path leading to it, it is in the normal spot on the front middle of the house, there are steps leading to it, but you know, maybe that’s just me 🙂
“Baby, wow! What a great sign!” I quickly added, “um, don’t you want to put it by your tree house though?” (not that I was at all bothered by a random front door sign in our flower bed or anything)
“But I don’t have a front door in my tree house. I don’t even have any walls. Why would I put this there?” was the bewildered reply I received.
“I made it to help people find their way in. Can I please leave it here?”
Suddenly, I no longer saw a random “front door this way sign.” Instead, I saw a truth that I far too often ignore: people need to know how to find truth; and it isn’t always obvious to them.
Having grown up in church, attended a Christian school, and been a part of a Gospel focused family, I can far too easily assume that everyone knows how to find true life; how to find Jesus. I assume that the “front door” is obvious, but to many, it isn’t, they need a sign.
Maybe the sign they need is in the form of a question like: “Do you go to church anywhere?” or “Where do you find comfort during hard times?”
Maybe the sign they need is in the form of a gesture: taking food to some who is sick and telling the person you are praying for them; giving a Bible to someone and spending time reading it together; hosting an Gospel focused Easter egg hunt at your house, or a birthday party for Jesus.
Maybe the sign they need is kind words spoken: kind words to the cashier who has been berated by irritated customers, affirming words to the janitor who feels unseen, compassion filled words to the mother dealing with screaming toddlers at the store.
Maybe the sign they need is an invitation: to church, to share a prayer request, to hear about the One who has completely changed your life.
I am guilty of staying in my “holy huddle” safely tucked among my Christian friends who know their way to The Door, but I am convicted that is not where God wants me to stay. Holy huddles are good for drawing strength, comfort and encouragement, but like a football huddle, the game is not played in the huddle; the ball is not passed in the huddle.
My daughter’s sign was a vivid picture from God that those who walk in darkness need help finding the light and The Way. Only Jesus can lead them to the door of eternal life and Heaven. How can I show people Jesus today? What sign is God asking me to hold up? What sign is He asking You to hold up today?