“When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.
Matt 16:2-3 (ESV)

The landscape is littered with them; directional signs, information signs, stop signs, speed limit signs, historical markers, no turn on red, left turn only, no U-turn. Signs abound in all shapes, sizes, colors, and styles.

In addition to all the permanent road signs there are those occasional signs that appear during special events like election season, construction zones, bridge out and temporary road closures.

Some signs are bigger than others, like the huge billboards advertising attractions and accommodations along the highway. Eat here, stay here, fuel up here, buy here, go to see this, visit with us, all endlessly barraging our travel time with one message after another.

Full color, larger than life sized signs can be found even in the most deserted parts of the country, along what would appear to be endless miles of nothingness.

With all these signs it would seem to be virtually impossible for anyone to actually get lost and not know where they are.

Signs abound along the highways of life as well. Though these signs may not be as in your face as the road side sign posts, they are still very prominent and frequent. Jesus chided the disciples for being able to tell what the weather would be like by looking at the moon but yet unable to tell the climate of the times in which they lived.

Continue reading “Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs!” →

It was early on a cold, damp morning when I had to make a trip to the hospital waiting room. I had been sick for several hours prior, and had hoped that a trip to the emergency room would not be necessary. I was wrong. The nausea and vomiting would not ease up. The diarrhea and cold sweats indicated medical attention was required. So off I went to the waiting room.

A hospital waiting room can be a hard place to endure when you are not feeling well. Upon entering the waiting room you are asked questions as to your name, address, sickness, allergies, and other personal information before you can even be considered for treatment Unless you are brought in by ambulance in a life threatening situation you must pass through the waiting room to wait, and wait, and wait some more. It can be a very lonely and foreboding place.

Constant waiting, when not feeling well, can be difficult to take. You are within feet of help and yet help seems so far away. You start to look around at others and try to rationalize whose illness or disease is less important than your own. You start to compare others and their situations with your own. The law of self preservation kicks in and you start to think that your needs are more important than others. You feel that your wait should be lessened by your perceived need for immediate attention.

We all can become selfish when faced with discomfort and distress. The desire to be cured of the discomfort pushes itself to the forefront of our thought processes and the waiting room is where all these emotions manifest. When we observe the actions, and reactions of those in the waiting room we can determine what level of acceptance a person has reached. There are those whom you would not think were sick at all from their calm, demeanor and, in contrast, you can readily see those who have not yet found comfort in their distress. They seem anxious and unhinged by the waiting process. Those who have seen the inside of the waiting room more than others offer up an experienced air about themselves. They have this reassurance that help is just moments away and there is nothing to fear or dread.

First timers to the waiting room are not as calm, cool, and collected as the more seasoned veterans. Proving once again that experience is the best teacher. I have to admit that I do not handle pain well at all. I am a baby when it comes to being sick. I do not like being sick! I feel so helpless when I am sick and I appreciate those who deal with us babies when it comes time to treat us. I have a great deal of respect for those in the medical profession. People who help people is a noble profession and one I greatly admire. I do not know if I would have the patience and gentleness to deal with people like myself when it comes time to treat them for being sick.

Trying to maintain a sense of composure when you are not feeling yourself in front of several people who are watching your every move is not easy. You have to check your pride at the door of the emergency room and forget about looking your best when entering the waiting room. You would not be there if you were your best. We come to the waiting room through the same door, the one marked emergency entrance. Some of us are wheeled in, some are carried in, some limp in, some enter reluctantly but all enter through the same door. We all must face the same security personnel and intake nurse who asks us questions for what seems like hours to determine the nature of our emergency.

To a sick person any time of awaiting a cure to their predicament seems too long.

Continue reading “The Waiting Room” →