I often find humor in signs and attempts to communicate. For example, at the entrance to a local fast food restaurant, there is a sign saying they have braille and picture menus available. I have to ask the question -- if a person is blind or illiterate, how can they read the sign telling them that they can ask for a special menu? And, if they are with a seeing friend, won’t the friend help them with the order?
I just received a form letter from the post office. The last line says “If you do not speak English or you do not understand this letter, please take it with you to your local post office for assistance.” I’m wondering about the non-English speakers who receive this. Do they understand that sentence? Who is the multi-lingual person at our local post office who can help them? Just wondering.
One of my favorite instruction lines is the one that was on the bottom of a fax. It came from a government office, and, in our day when everything is a secret, directed the person receiving the fax - it is illegal to keep or file this information. When you are finished using it, please fax it back to the sender. The last time I sent a fax, the master didn’t get sent down the phone line, only a digital copy.
These illustrations talk about communication. In an attempt to be all inclusive, we see a sign in print aimed for a blind person. That’s as effective as the time we were in Germany trying to eat at a Chinese restaurant. The people there only spoke German and Chinese. Everything was printed in German. I wonder if they had a sign in German that said “we do not speak English”. If they did, we couldn’t read it. Communication requires that both (or all) people speak the same language. It requires that the words are understood and defined the same way.
Communication requires listening. Listen to what is really being said, not what you want to hear.
God didn’t create confusing signs for people. He shows His amazing power and creativity through all His complex creation. He shows His overwhelming love through the death and resurrection of Jesus. He shows His mercy and grace through the free gift of forgiveness of sins.
I’ve been reading a book about Buchenwald Prison in Germany, run by Hitler’s gang. It communicates their hatred, bitterness, destruction and death. I’ve also read a book about God’s love (it’s a best seller). It communicates God’s compassion, caring, uplifting and life. God communicates His love, listens to our cries, and gives us the message of life.
