Stop Signs

How many times have we seen this sign at an intersection? And how many more times will we see it before we leave this world; God only knows. Even without the white caption, STOP, that red octagonal sign is branded in our consciousness; STOP means to come to a complete stop, not like a California stop where you slow down, and if the coast is clear you roll on through.


There is a debate about who actually invented the stop sign; but I really don’t think most people care much about that. According to Wikipedia, the stop sign originated in the good old U.S. of A. in the state of Michigan around 1915. Necessity being the mother of invention, because there was an increasing problem with horse and buggies, Model T Fords, and pedestrians at the intersections of the more densely populated areas, the stop sign became the sign of the future for traffic and pedestrian safety.


The red/white look we see today came about by 1954. After an x-amount of avoidable accidents, somebody finally figured out to make running a stop sign illegal, and it became law by 1966. One of the laws required motorist to come to a complete stop even if no other vehicles are visible.


By 1971 the stop sign grew to a height of 7 feet tall. Many countries around the world have adopted the North America’s red octagon sign for traffic safety, making the stop sign a universal symbol that transcends borders and cultures. (See en.wikpedia.org/wiki/stop_sign)


Recently, I was waiting in the parking lot of a busy shopping mall while Beverly was doing some shopping. I was observing the cars as they approached a stop sign. Some would stop while others would roll on through. I asked God if there was any spiritual truth I could gleam from this behavior toward the stop sign. Shortly thereafter, an acronym came across my mind,

Send The Other Person .

Almost instantaneously, I recalled the words of Isaiah in chapter six verse eight,

Here am I. Send me!

My thoughts began to circulate and tumble like clothes in a dryer. After all of my countless encounters with the stop sign in my life, I never would have gotten an alternative message like Send The Other Person from it; but I did ask!I had a fairly good idea what God was communicating to me through this stop sign, and I was eager to get back home and read the Isaiah passage for I knew something pretty amazing was being shown to me.


When Isaiah heard the voice of the LORD in Isaiah 6:8 saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” God had asked the question not to gain information but to give Isaiah an opportunity for Isaiah to serve after his awareness of the holiness of God (vv. 1-4) and his cleansing of sin for service (vv. 5-6).


In a nutshell the people of Israel had rejected the law of the Lord (Is 5:24); and the anger of the LORD was aroused against them (Is 5:25). Judgment was on the horizon. Isaiah was going to be commissioned by the LORD to deliver His message to the nation -- Go, and tell (Is 6:9).... God gave Isaiah a threefold vision.


1. Isaiah saw God – holy (the upward look)


Isa 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.
Isa 6:2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
Isa 6:3 And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!"
Isa 6:4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.


2. Isaiah saw himself – sinful (the inward look)


Isa 6:5 So I said: "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts."
Isa 6:6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar.
Isa 6:7 And he touched my mouth with it, and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged" [for service, not salvation].


3. Isaiah saw others – needy (the outward look)


Isa 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."
Isa 6:9 And He said, "Go, and tell this people….


Isaiah got a glimpse of God’s holiness and saw his own sinfulness and dire need to be cleansed in order to be used of God. Now he is able to address the spiritual needs of others.


You and I are all called upon to be witnesses everywhere (Acts 1:8). An effective witness is not discouraged because he sees that God is on the throne regardless of the circumstances. An effective witness is not burdened down with personal sin because of his sincere desire to be holy as God is holy. An effective witness sees the true condition of man and shares God’s message of hope.


Spiritually speaking, the stop sign should remind everyone of us who claim the blood of Christ not to roll on through every intersection of life selfishly. God has called each and every one of us for a purpose, to glorify Him in all that we say and do.


For the next million times you and I approach a stop sign, we need to obey the law and come to a complete stop and briefly ponder on that white four letter word inside the red octagonal field - Send The Other Person.


Physically speaking, the stop sign is our warning sign to stop for safety; spiritually speaking, it is our warning sign to stop being selfish - God Send The Other Person. Insead of a California roll, we can do a Christian "role," a complete stop to self, look up, look in, and look out for God's glory.


Every stop sign that crosses our path serves as a reminder that God is giving us an opportunity to say no to self and yes to serving Him. Who will go for Us?

Send The Other Person?

or

Here am I. Send me?

These are the signs of the times.... <><