I live in a rural area situated along the Mason-Dixon line. We do not have any traffic lights in our small town and the only way I would get caught up in a traffic jam is if one of the cows from the many farms around us got out and decided to take up residence on one of the roads. Yes, I live in Cow Town, U.S.A.
And yet, despite the rural setting, someone found it necessary to spray paint a message on one of the bridges not far from our house. I guess true art knows no boundaries and is not confined to urban settings. Now, while I am not one to condone defacing public property, I have to say that this particular message appeared at a time when I needed it most.
I had been going through a rather difficult period in my life and was struggling with just what God was trying to teach me. You know, I always wonder about people who seem like they never face any trials or tribulations in their life. They just plod through life with a big smile on their face and act like everything is wonderful, praise God, Hallelujah! Well, I think they are either faking their way through life or their Christian walk is so infantile that the devil wouldn't waste his time on them. Let's all be adults here...sometimes life is hard and sometimes we all need a little encouragement.
So, on this particular day, I started up the road and as I approached this bridge that went over the road I was on, I saw the message that was freshly painted for my own edification. I will never know who spray painted my personal message of hope. While it was no burning bush, that day God spoke to me through a spray painted message on the side of bridge. The 3-word message was very clear, "Don't Give Up!"
Usually the highway maintenance crews are pretty aggressive in covering up any graffiti that gets painted on bridges and overpasses, but for some reason my message of hope remains untouched. Who knows, maybe I'm the only one who can see the message. That wouldn't be the first time that God did something cool like that...and I'm sure it won't be the last.
Be Well.
Bill
