We were trying to complete a scavenger hunt through Michigan's "Tunnel of Trees" on M-119 and had to find a nature preserve, walk down to Lake Michigan, and dip our toes into the water. Sounded simple enough. We should have paid attention to the signs that were all around us.
I'm not talking about trail signs. There was only one trail. I'm talking about signs of danger. There were a few sprinkles (sign #1) when we set out so we put on our rain gear and grabbed an umbrella. That was smart. But that didn't adequately prepare us for what lay ahead.
The wind started to increase in the now-swaying trees overhead (sign #2) and we heard the sound of distant thunder (sign #3). Still we continued on. The brochure said it was only "a short hike" after all.
We then came to a portion of the trail that sloped down dramatically. And I mean, IT WENT DOWN!! And it was just a dirt trail. No gravel, no wood chips. Dirt. So, I posed a question to my wife.
"So, are you ready for this?" I asked. I was concerned about being able to get back up the slippery slope. Getting to the bottom was NOT going to be a problem. One way or another we would get there. My wife was determined so on we went.
This is probably a good time to read this reminder from the prophet Jeremiah, which I read during our vacation. A sign of things to come?
"The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, speak to your people and say to them: ‘When I bring the sword against a land, and the people of the land choose one of their men and make him their watchman, 3 and he sees the sword coming against the land and blows the trumpet to warn the people, 4 then if anyone hears the trumpet but does not heed the warning and the sword comes and takes their life, their blood will be on their own head. 5 Since they heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, their blood will be on their own head." Ezekiel 33:1-5
We heard the warnings. Still, the thunder and the increased rainfall, which was now a downpour, did not deter us. We would have been wiser if we would have turned around. But alas, we weren't. We ignored the signs and pressed on.
When we reached the beach we were already soaked. My wife wanted to put up the umbrella but I suggested that raising a metal-shafted umbrella in a thunderstorm might not be the smartest thing to do. So on we went in a downpour, soaked to the skin. Our rain gear, we discovered, was not.
My wife accomplished her task. She took off her shoe and sock and dipped her already wet toe into the water. Then back we went. Across the sand dune, across the rocks and into the woods. I raised the umbrella at that point, but why bother? A last effort to protect mu wife?
We should have listened to the signs that were all around us. We didn't. We were too busy doing what WE wanted to do. It kind of reminded me of the human race and our current state of affairs. Watch the news. Are WE heeding the signs that are all around us? No. We are just forging ahead, doing what WE want to do, instead of observing the signs that are all around us. Signs from God.
I believe we are living in the last days as prophesied in the Bible. It won't be too long before Jesus comes back to take His bride, the church. Are we prepared? Have we taken adequate steps because of the warning signs we have seen? Have we warned others about what's on the trail ahead? Time will tell. The question is, "Are we ready?"
50 Reasons We Are Living In The End Time - Lamb and Lion Ministries
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