My sign is empty and I don’t know what to fill it with. I’ve always had something to put on my sign … so is this the end?

I’m wondering, “Do I just take the sign down and forget about it?”

There have been times when I struggled to come up with something to write about for this blog, but I never seriously considered discontinuing it. Sure the thought crossed my mind, but my page never stayed empty long enough for me to give up on it.

My sign has been empty for a couple of weeks and, for two weeks before that, it had an outdated message on it.

Maybe I should explain myself … 

On a dividing wall between our living room and kitchen we have a wooden frame that you can arrange letters on. There are several lines in this frame and I put messages on it. 

Some messages anticipate something special coming up like our daughter’s wedding or an important birthday. Some of the messages reflect what is going on in my head and emotions. And then there are some messages that are whimsical like a line from a song that introduces a season of weather. 

We got this frame about three years ago when we were on vacation at our cottage. One day we took a trip into town and since Lily likes going to the store, Winners, we ended up there. 

I don’t really like going in there but when I finished touring through the neighbouring Princess Auto store, well, then I joined her in Winners.

When we’re on vacation, we don’t really have an agenda. So I just wandered around seeing if anything caught my eye. I had no hopes of anything; there was nothing I was particularly looking for. 

My job was complete and Lily had found what she wanted so we made our way to the cashier. 

They are smart at Winners. You don’t just go up to the cashier. You have to weave your way through low-lying shelves on both sides of you where you are tempted and tested to pick up items you have no desire for and know you shouldn’t buy … but they are staring right at you, looking homeless on the shelves. 

Well, just as we were about to enter this tunnel of temptation, I saw this message board and it grabbed my attention. 

I don’t know why, but I wanted it. I thought it would be great to put weekly or daily inspirational messages on it. 

So we bought it. 

Since that time, I’ve been the sign guy. I’ve always had something to fill up the spaces on the rows. But in this last month, I’ve lost my desire to even think of something to put on that message board. It’s been empty now for two weeks.

I think either I come up with a message today, or the last phrase I will put on that sign is “All good things come to an end”. 

Here’s the thing: Like with my empty sign when you go through a dry spell connecting with God, you might consider not trying any more. But you have to ask yourself, “How important is my relationship with God?” Is it something I should cast aside, or just ignore? Then try a new approach, get a devotional guide, connect in a different spot or at a different time. Put the effort into finding new ways to connect with Him.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you need to put some renewed effort into? Leave your comments and questions below.

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