Signs

My wife and I were talking about signs yesterday.  Not road signs, but signs from God.  The kind of signs that are all over the place in the Christmas story - 


The sign of the virgin conceiving, that Ahaz refused to ask for, that God gave him anyway.


The sign of the angel appearing to Zechariah, who refused to believe his prophecy and was struck dumb until his son John was born.


The sign of the angel appearing to Joseph in a dream, who then got up from his dream and did what the angel told him to do.


The sign of the angel appearing to Mary, who rejoiced in faithful obedience to be the mother of our Lord.


The sign of the angels appearing to the shepherds, who got up from their fields and went to Bethlehem to see the Babe in the Manger.


We observed that there seem to be a lot of Christians looking for God to tell them or show them what His will is for them in life.  If only God would give them a sign, they think, then they would know what He has in mind for them and they would follow Him obediently.  But would they?  Would we?


We eventually decided that it would depend on the person, on the day, on the sign, maybe on other factors.  For instance, would you embrace a sign from God if it came at a time when you were bored, perhaps like the shepherds, and saw no big life change in taking a little side trip to follow the sign?


Would you embrace a sign from God if it seemed to run in a direction you were already inclined to go, like faithful Mary?


Would you embrace a sign from God if it seemed to run in an opposite direction, like Joseph who was considering that the right thing to do would be to divorce Mary?  The angel told him that the will of God was that Joseph should marry her, and we're told Joseph did so - would you do that willingly, or under protest?  


Would you embrace a sign from God if it came at a time of settled comfort, like Zechariah and Elizabeth, looking forward to life's evening of retirement and quiet ease only to find out that God had in store for them diapers and bottles and crying and running and skinned knees and climbing trees and school programs and . . . . .?


Would you protest like Ahaz, and end up with a sign from God whether you want it or not?


I'd like to think that if God gave me a sign or spoke to me directly, that I'd respond to Him in faith and eagerness, like Mary did or the shepherds.  But I doubt it.  


How about you?