Under the circumstances. Ever camped there, feeling flatter than grass under snow? At times like that, everyone needs a sign that reminds us that God knows and cares. That we can trust him to point the way to living triumphantly over the "stuff and sins" that weigh us down. That, regardless of our circumstances, we must not lose hope.
Countless reminders of God's love surround us. A tree blooming with robins during an unwelcome spring snowfall. Unexpected contact with a friend. A rainbow arching over the horizon. But opening our eyes to see those signs and letting them into our hearts means slowing down. Sadly, that practice has become as rare as darning socks.
I saw a sign like that the other day. It made me want to hug a bureaucrat. Or whoever named the previously anonymous grid road that branches off Highway 10 between Yorkton and Regina. I've never been down that road, mind you, but the newly erected sign tickled me.
"Let's get a picture on the way back," I told the Preacher. A few hours later, he slowed down and pulled over. I hopped out, camera in hand.
Now I have my own copy of the sign I adore: VICTORY ROAD. "Only in the prairies," I tapped, texting my sister the picture.
"Looks pretty bleak to me," she texted back. "Not victorious at all."
She's right, judging by the surroundings. Dirty snow patches on stubbly fields. Gloomy sky. No colour except on the sign: Highways Department green with six-inch high white letters, perched on two poles of blonde wood.
Someday I'd like to hear the story behind the road's name. But reflecting on my photo, I know why its sign pulled me out of the fast lane: because it reminded me of God's best sign of all - the cross of Jesus Christ. Like that sign on Highway #10, he posted it on the shoulder of life's frenzied highway.
Though surrounded by bleakness, for two thousand years, the cross Jesus died on has pointed the way to victory. The kind of victory that makes people like Christian motivational speaker Nick Vujicic find hope and meaning in life. Nick has tetra-amelia syndrome. Born without limbs, he shares with worldwide audiences how his faith in Jesus keeps him looking forward to each day with anticipationeven under his circumstances. "I am God's creation," he says, "designed according to His plan for me."
Victory in life, victory in death. No matter our circumstances. That's what the sign of the cross represents. But while many profess to admire it, few slow down long enough to ponder what it means. And like me, shooting a photo along Highway 10, even fewer leave their wide roads to travel where it leads - to the resurrected Son of God. To the Saviour who is both the road and our companion on that road. To the only one who enables us to live victoriously - under any circumstances.
