Danger!
You’ve seen the signs.
STAY ON MARKED TRAIL. DO NOT CLIMB ON ROCKS. NO HIKING, BEARS IN AREA.
Sigh.
Encountering these signs is never fun! Especially when you were just thinking how fun it would be to climb that big ‘ole rock next to the thundering waterfall. You may be sooo tempted to ignore the sign and do what you want anyway. I mean, how’s a little sign going to stop you?
It won’t. So how can you stop yourself?
Next time you encounter a warning sign, think about this: the sign wasn’t always there. Something—or several things—happened in that space to necessitate the sign. Imagine the craziest scenario possible (this is what I do when writing my stories). For example:
- Ten-year-old Blaze tried to take a shower in the waterfall, slipped off the rock, and earned himself an ambulance ride and 100 stitches in his forehead.
- The Sutton family decided to picnic in bear country only to become the picnic themselves. Shudder!
- MacKenzie and Michelle tried to blaze their own trail, got lost for ten years, and now they’re the stars of a documentary called Our Decade with the Wolves.
Whoa! When I think about things that way, it makes me want to obey the signs. Adventure is fun, but it’s best when it ends well!
So what can you do when the sign says stop? Go a different way and look for a place with no signs! Climb some gnarly logs. Dip your toes in a freezing river. Find a trail that looks out over the entire world.
And don’t become the reason someone has to put a new sign up! In other words, be wise, friends!
Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you. Proverbs 4:6 NLT
Do you have any warning sign stories (good or bad)? Email me and share ☺
