Warning Signs

One Christmas Day in the Southern Hemisphere, I walked to the beach along with a group of my vacationing family members.

It was a warm, sunny day, and the azure-blue water was beckoning.

But we were confronted by a large sign that said, “Marine stingers are dangerous. Do not swim in these waters between October and April.” Box jellyfish are a major problem in the warmer waters off the Australian coast.

Their many tentacles are covered with half a million or so little cells that can each inject venom. We read the sign thoughtfully, recognizing that December 25 very definitely falls between October and April. My brother’s father-in-law had an idea. “I heard on the radio just this morning that the box jellyfish haven’t arrived in the area yet,” he said, “so I think we should be OK.” We looked at the water, felt the day getting warmer, noticing windsurfers and boats on the shore, and reasoned we were not the only ones who had entertained the same idea. We made a decision.

We would ignore the sign. I windsurfed while my brother and his children swam. Suddenly, my five-year-old nephew let out a blood-curdling scream.

He was paddling in shallow water close to the beach when a box jellyfish attached itself to the back of his hand. As my brother rushed him to an aid station, my nephew said in desperation, “Daddy, I don’t want to die!” My nephew survived the experience with a minimum of drama, although, for years afterward, he had a scar on the back of his hand that reminded all of us of the importance of not ignoring signs. In Matthew 24, Jesus gave us signs of His return and said that when we see them fulfilling, we can know that His return is near, “even at the doors” (verse 33).

The signs Jesus gave us are not to be ignored.

They are invitations to take Christ’s offer of salvation seriously and to share that same offer with others. The signs speak to us clearly.

Jesus is coming back soon. Now is the time to surrender your heart to Him and be ready for history’s greatest event.