When I am driving throughout the United States, I enjoy seeing the billboards that dot the highways speaking for God. A couple of my favorites: “Life is short. Eternity is not. —God”; and “Let’s meet at my house this Sunday, before the game. —God.” God must have a pretty big advertising budget because he has billboards in pretty much every state!
One billboard I saw read, “You asked God for a sign, and here it is!” After a chuckle, I realized that we are always looking for a sign. We say we believe, but sometimes, we act like we just want to be sure.
In the Gospels, Jesus performs miracles and healings so that people would believe. The healing of Lazarus was surely a profound moment for all who were there. Jesus was able to show that he has power over even death itself, a foreshadowing to his resurrection that will occur in the not too distant future. For all who doubt, be assured that Jesus is the giver of life. He has given living water to the woman at the well, sight to the blind, and now has raised a man from the grave.
As Easter draws ever closer, how many more signs do you need? What else can Jesus do to convince you that his call on your life comes from the source of all life? As the US Bishops’ pastoral letter on stewardship lays out, we have been challenged, we are asked to choose, and then our lives will be transformed. May all the signs of God around us, even billboards on the side of the road, move us to choose a path of giving of ourselves like Jesus.
Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS
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