Signs are a very important part of our lives. I remember many years ago traveling through Pennsylvania with a very short time to be at a meeting scheduled in Philadelphia. The freeway was located through what appeared to be a forest with a solid and thick stand of trees on either side. While on that freeway, the towns and cities we were passing were not visible. We were totally dependant on signs, and they were very few and hard to read while traveling at freeway speeds. We assumed that when we were close to a large city such as Philadelphia that there would be billboards and significant signs to tell us that we were getting close to the city. We also expected that there would be well-lit exit signs on the freeway telling us we were near or in Philadelphia.
After a while, we were sure that we had gone past Philadelphia, so we stopped as soon as we came to an exit. Sure enough, we were approximately ten miles past the exit to Philadelphia. Signs are very important for travellers especially those who are new to an area. Utah has one of the very best sign systems in the country. It is very unlikely that you would miss a correct turnoff in Utah.
When we are in the city looking for a store or office where we have business, if they do not have an easy-to-find and easy-to-read sign to attract us, the company may miss out on our business because we could not locate it easily.
There are many, many kinds of signs, and they are all very important; signs are not just for advertisements. There are many signs that are subtle and are only recognized by those who are associated with a common group or organization. I was watching a professional baseball game on television the other night, and the club manager was standing just outside the dugout, observing the activity of the game, and all of a sudden, he started a very rapid and strange series of hand and facial movements (he even pulled his ears a couple of times). His gestures could have been mistaken for a seizure. The next second, he was just standing there again as if nothing had happened. Shortly thereafter, the second baseman returned similar gestures, then I realized that what they were doing was some kind of a coded conversation using strange signals or “signs.”
The scriptures have described signs in the heavens that were to warn the Israelites and/or the Nephite people of coming events, such as the birth of the Savior. Our Father in Heaven commonly describes the use of signs to evaluate our loyalty to Him and to His laws. For example, in Exodus 31:13, speaking to Moses, He states: “Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.” In Ezekiel 20:20, that same theme is reiterated: “…hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you.”
Obviously, even our behavior serves as signs not only between ourselves and the Lord, but for many others who know us. We don’t always have to tell our friends, and those who know us well, what we are always thinking because our facial expressions, hand and body movements, etc. tell them. They are signs that tell them, just as if we were expressing our thoughts verbally. Sometimes what we say does not jive with our body language, and friends will question our verbal statement. Sign language for the “hard of hearing” did not begin with the hard of hearing. Native Americans and many others used some form of sign language and have done so for centuries. Physicians use physical and emotional signs to help them diagnose our health problems. Nature displays many signs that tell us what the day may be like or when the seasons are about to change. There are many signs, and like learning to walk and to talk, from our youth to our grave we are learning to read the signs of life. They who have learned most successfully are they who are found at the heads of government, business, and all other organizations. They are the gurus who are sought after for their wisdom and advice. Formal education is important, but without the most important learning in life, a formal education is not so valuable. That most important training and education one can obtain is that of reading the signs of life.