When I was younger I had the opportunity to greet one of my favorite bands, Jars of Clay. I stood in line for quite a while with my mother by my side. The line seemed to move horribly slow, but it moved. Soon enough we got up there and there they sat, awesome in their awesomeness. Smiles adorned their faces as they greeted one fan after the other. Their hands whirled in similar patterns, signing their names and shaking hands.
It was amazing, I got to meet some of the people that I held in high regard. Years later in college I rubbed it in my (now) wife’s face that I got to meet (give a bro-side-hug to, and take a photograph with) some of the guys from Switchfoot, her favorite band.
We desire to be seen by those we respect the most.
Various people across movies, music, sports and more catch our attention. We consider them as stars and idols. We love to meet them, talk to them, and one of the most important things we crave is their signature.
We bring CDs, posters, books, or pictures to have our favorite star sign.
“Keep it real, (your name here).” Followed by some illegible scribble we call a signature.
…So personal…So real…So authentic…
And the sad thing is we covet that from other people. We want to be in their shoes. We want to have met them, shook their hands, been there to get that one signature.
That one signature means something. It has value and weight to us and to others. There is even a “cool factor” for having it.
In the end, it’s just scribble.
After I got the signatures from Jars of Clay I went home feeling accomplished. The very next day, I didn’t look at it. And that’s when it clicked to me: signatures from people I don’t know aren’t really important to me. I just don’t care. And even the people who love getting signatures, if you take away the photo of the celebrity, they wouldn’t have an idea whose signature it is.
So why are we obsessed with getting signatures from people? Why do we wait in long lines for hours to spend 15 seconds with a person we don’t actually know to have them sign a picture of themselves?
But yet, we are none too occupied with having His signature written on our hearts.
Funny how that works. We crave and yearn for the signature of one who will perish, who will let us down, who will eventually fall into obscurity. But the Immortal One? The One who gives grace with abandon and loves recklessly is left at His own table. Relatively few people in line for that one.
Sure, we want the signature on our “Get out of Hell” ticket, but on our hearts, that’s a little painful. That’s a little personal. That’s a little… Hard.
His signature leaves a mark on our soul.
It can’t be washed away. It never fades. And you always know Whose it is.
Those marked with His signature have a distinction about them. There is a genuine difference when a person has sought out His signature and stays at the table to fellowship with Him.
We call them awe-inspiring. We love to read stories about them and from them. We are stirred by their actions and moved by their words. Yet we believe it unattainable for ourselves. We have a day job we have to go to right? We have families we have to raise, right?
We don’t have the time to spend on acquiring that signature. Honestly, we are just scared. We think God’s signature on our lives will send us to some remote land with no Internet (God forbid, right?). We think it will force us to do charity every day, every second. It might make us desire to be with our family, to listen to our spouses’ hearts, to leave a legacy of love upon our children. But if we do that, who’s going to whip those newbies on Call of Duty 20? Who’s going to watch that football/basketball/baseball game if you don’t call up “the boys” and have a guy’s night?
Amirite?!
Maybe, just maybe, getting that signature is exactly what you need. The line is always short (and not because no one is there, because God is rockin’ it) and you can stay for as long as you’d like. Soak Him up.
Sadly, it’s a difficult task for us to stay at the table of the Lord. Yet we are called to it. Seek His signature, let Him write it upon your soul. May you be marked by our Maker.