Daily Jewel

by Pastor Carnell, McAlester, OK
July 10, 2012

“Stop-Sign Theology”
“My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching…For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life…” – Proverbs 6:20, 23 (NIV)
Have you had enough of all this “correction” stuff? Have you heard enough of listening to what is right and doing the right thing? Well, if you are then it shows that you are truly human, and being human means you actually need it more than what you think you do! Allow me to illustrate this.
What if every town (despite its size and population) had no stop signs or stoplights in them? The only instruction is when you enter the city (or town) is a sign that says, “Please stop at every intersection.” Would you remember to do that? You might…but would the other drivers remember to do that? There is a safety factor involved having a stop sign or stoplight at every intersection. That way, everyone remains safe…at least that is the purpose and goal. As many of us have experienced from time-to-time, it does not always work that way.
My mother and I were driving through downtown Fayetteville, Arkansas one day. I should preface that by saying my mom was driving since I was only eight at the time. My father had recently passed away and we were in the city to take care of some issues related to his passing. We were going through an intersection when the next thing I know I see a car coming right at me. My mother was able to stop just soon enough where the impact of the collision was more toward the front of the car instead of where I was sitting. What we learned later was that the other driver was not paying attention and had run the stoplight. What I remember most is seeing that car coming towards us—something that even to this day still haunts me. I want to repeat something that I mentioned yesterday that bears repeating in regards to the philosopher, Nietzche. Nietzche taught that rules about what is right and what is wrong are simply cultural inventions that serve as smokescreens for power struggles. According to Nietzche and his followers, subverting authority is a good thing...an act of liberation. He taught that might makes right. Whoever is strongest....whoever can win at "king of the mountain"....defines what is moral.
What if what Nietzche thought and taught applied to stop signs? Are they, too, a matter of “Power Stuggles?” What if those same rules applied to robbing banks, cheating on tests, or cheating on one’s spouse? Or, to an even greater extent, what if those same rules applied to murder, rape, child abuse…? With nothing to show “caution” it is easy to see why people get hurt…even killed. It’s like the man driving down the road with a friend. He come to a barricade in the road that says, “Detour. Bridge Out.” Instead of taking the detour he drives around the barricade and continues driving toward the bridge. His friend, a bit disturbed says, “Why aren’t you taking the detour?” The driver says, “That sign did not apply to me.” Only until he gets to the bridge does he realize that the sign applied to everyone! The reason why Solomon repeats his “instructions” over and over is like having a stop sign at every intersection. You may know that you need to stop (or yield), but does the driver coming from the other direction?
Do not become so “numbed” to instruction(s) that you forget why we need them. There is more than one type of stop-signs and I am glad there are!
Pastor J. T. Carnell.