Re-writing the Subway Signs

I'm amused by the signs I see when I ride the subway. Some promise success, others beauty, still others a lofty principle or mantra to live by. They are often dramatic, feel-good messages that promise something only God can really give. Some of the signs are so close to Truth and yet miss it by just one word. At the newly renovated Uijeongbu Station, there are signs emphasizing construction safety. One claims: “Safety! The key to protecting your life.” Another reads: “Happiness grows in safety.” Of course we want our subways to be safe, but as Christians we know that rather than safety, faith in Jesus is the bedrock of our well-being and joy. If this life is God's construction zone for our souls, perhaps the signs should read: “Faith! The key to protecting your life.” Or, “Happiness grows in faith.” The best the world can offer is superficial safety, but God offers unshakeable hope.

2011 has been a hard year for me. In the first four months, my best friend moved to another country, my grandmother passed away, and my parents got divorced. In the last four weeks, another close friend moved abroad, peers I graduated from high school with suddenly lost both of their parents to tragic violence, and my aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer. These difficult circumstances have revealed the inadequacy of “safety” and made me thankful for a house built on the Rock (Matt.7:24-25).

But how can we recognize God's grace in the darkest of times? How can we give thanks in everything? Regarding a recent event, I confessed to my friend Karen, “I just don't know how to be thankful for this. I know how to find a silver lining, but there must be a thankfulness that goes deeper than looking on the bright side. Or what about times when there is no bright side?” And God put the key in her hand and stretched it out to me: “Maybe we can be thankful just because Jesus goes with us through our hardships.”

Indeed, nothing can separate us from His love (Rom.8:38-39), and that is eternal grace, a reason to be joyful and thankful at all times!

These thoughts came back to me when I saw this sign on the subway a couple days ago: “Seoul, where we're all smiling; Seoul, where we're glad to see each other; Seoul, where we're always thankful.” I don't believe a worldly city can ever be like that, but the Church should be! Paul said it first: “Be joyful always... Give thanks in all circumstances” (1Thess.5:16,18). When we remember that Jesus is present with us, we always have a reason to smile, to be glad, and to give thanks. Perhaps in heaven, the banner reads like this: “The Kingdom of Heaven, where we're all smiling; The Kingdom of Heaven, where we're glad to see each other; The Kingdom of Heaven, where we're always thankful.” Could we hang that sign at our church, too?

(Note: I wrote this essay for today's edition of our church bulletin. Thanks to my talented friend Sungmi, there is a Korean translation available upon request. :))