Signs 1-1-13

(A true story poem.  Reflecting back to my childhood in the 1960's.) 

There, spaced along the highway were twelve inexpensive signs.

Just simple words of black on white next to some rigid pines.

The signs were spaced just far enough they caught my drifting eye -

so pondered I, each single word as they went marching by...

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"For God..." "so loved..." "the world..." "that He gave..." "His only..." "begotten Son..."

"that whosoever..." "believeth in Him..." "should not perish..."

"but have..." "everlasting life..." "John 3:16"

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So many times from grandma's house we read 'John three-sixteen' -

and millions more had seen this verse against those evergreen.

My dad, my mom, my brother, I - in humbleness did read

those words as we were driving by and faithfully would heed.

Now who had thought of doing this and painted them with care?

Who dug the holes in God's green earth and set them up to share -

to other people driving by so they too could embrace

this verse of loving kindness - of vast forgiving grace?

I read those words each time we passed and wondered who'd take time

and paint the words for profit not - not even for a dime.

I wondered who that man had been each time that we passed by -

and wondered as some years had passed - whose signs had caught my eye.

Yes, even as a teen I thought, who painted each of those -

then did the work to put them up?  I pondered, just suppose -

he cared not for his pocket book but wanted to impart,

with work and pure compassion - some love within his heart.

Well, nothing lasts forever, therefore sometimes something breaks -

so dad pulled to the shoulder and then hit the car's old brakes.

He took a hammer from the trunk.  Bored, waiting for my dad,

I saw him fix a broken sign - and then I knew who had.

©2013 louis gander ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

http://www.ganderpoems.org/

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John 3:16-21 (King James Version)
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world;
but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already,
because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world,
and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light,
lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest,
that they are wrought in God.

John 3:16-21 (New American Standard Version)
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world,
but that the world might be saved through Him.
18 He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already,
because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world,
and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
20 For everyone who does evil hates the Light,
and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
21 But he who practices the truth comes to the Light,
so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

John 3:16-21 (New International Version)
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but to save the world through him.
18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned,
but whoever does not believe stands condemned already
because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world,
but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
20 Everyone who does evil hates the light,
and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.
21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light,
so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.