Reading the Signs

Scripture Texts: Mark 13:24-37; Mark 14:1-11; Psalm 13

Understanding what is happening around you is an important skill. Jesus reminds the disciples to pay attention to their surroundings. All of this is pointing to what many call the end times. The time in history when Christ will return and all creation will be restored to its original state.

Being able to read the signs is not limited to the understanding when Jesus will return. When our dog begins to pace around the room it is a sign she needs to go outside. When laying in bed on a January morning and we hear the snowplow go by, it is a sign that some shoveling is in the future. All of us learn to read signs that tell us to be ready.

In a marriage there are signs it is time to pay attention to what is happening. If you and your spouse go several days in the same space and not talking, that is a sign. If everything each of you does irritates each other, that is a sign. When all the interactions are filled with anger and bitterness, that is a sign.

All of these signs let us know that if we do not pay attention to our marriage trouble is ahead. It is one thing to recognize the signs it is another to do something about it. The most common need is to take time to focus on building our marriage. Life is filled with many things demanding our attention and marriage can get lost in the midst. That is when the signs start to pop up.

When the signs begin to pop up, do not delay. Read the signs, and respond with some urgency. A neglected relationship never gets better with continued neglect. An ignored sign of trouble in a marriage will never go away by acting like it is not there. We must recognize the sign and then take actions accordingly.