On the drive home from preschool I was quiet, and had successfully communicated to my children through body language, intonation, and music volume that I was unavailable for small talk. The quiet lent to my observation skills and at a red light I noticed the license plate in front of me read "ISA 69". "This is a sign!", I thought, so when I got home I flipped the Bible open to Isaiah 6:9. I prepared myself for game-changing wisdom, some little nugget of refreshing truth and advice to give me sudden clarity and introspection, thereby rendering me a more admirable mother for the remainder of the day.
This is what Isaiah 6:9 reads:
And he said, "Go, and say to the people:
Keep on hearing, but do not
understand;
keep on seeing, but do not perceive."
"Unhelpful" would be an understatement. I practically tossed the Bible aside.
Once the kids were down for naps and I was able to sit down on the couch and finally attain that near meditative peaceful quiet, I realized my error. My feverish search for meaning on the back of that car was completely unnecessary. God knew the kind of day I was having; He knew that I would not have time to look up Isaiah 6:9 on my phone before the light turned green. Surely he knew that my hungry, tired boys self would not allow for a long study of the Bible, so He simply gave me a visual. The license plate itself was my advice, it was God reaching His hand down and slapping an "I am here!" bumper sticker on that SUV in front of me. I should have just laughed then and there, because He knew I needed obvious and simple. Thank God.
