open or closed

there's a store on the street around the corner from our quaint little house in downtown Angier... pronounced (Ann'-jer)... this store is a car parts/hardware store and probably has been for 50+ years. Angier's downtown strip only has 1 or two stores like that, though, which is pretty sad for a downtown, but we do have a nice clock and a mighty nice caboose. beat that, Buies Creek.

anyways... this store must be doing pretty well, because their 'open' sign can be seen flashing pretty much anytime you drive by... during the day, the early morning, late at night, in the middle of said night, whatever - the 'open' sign is always flashing.

I'm just the kind of nerd to notice something like this and then say in my head (where many, many strange things are said), "i'm going to go in there sometime and tell them they need to remember to turn that sign off!" Perhaps that's some of my wife's pseudo-OCD rubbing off on me, that i feel some compulsion to turn off a blinking light. i mean, clearly the store is not open at 5am, nor at 11pm or later, but that open sign is still flashing!

i know a few people like that. they are telling me with their mouths that they are open(minded), but in deed they are pretty much closed all around, all the time. there are those who will flash at just the right time, when it is appropriate, and will even claim their "open"ness through the night, putting on just enough of a show to convince.

but, where the rubber meets the road (pun intended for aforementioned car parts store), they are practically, functionally, and sadly, not open at all. this brings their claims to about the same level as the flashing 'open' sign on the store - a waste of resources (energy), and a bad impression in the long run, regardless of how long they have been around.

let this be an encouragement to us (me) to remain 'open' in word AND deed; to let love motivate toward open embrace; to let peace motivate toward openly seeking commonality; to let joy move toward openly rejoicing with my family and community; to let my mind be open to ideas, concepts, lifestyles, and beliefs so that i might recognize and point toward Christ.