“So from his presence the hand was sent, and this writing was inscribed. And this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, and PARSIN.” (Dan. 5:24-25)
The handwriting was on the wall, but he chose not to see it. His sweetheart had been sending him messages, but he refused to take her seriously. When she ended the relationship, he felt like she hadn’t given him a chance to make some changes; but she had.
The handwriting was on the wall, but she chose to ignore it. Things at work were collapsing, morale was falling, sales were dipping, key folks were leaving, conflicts were rising, and support was eroding, but she denied the signs. And then her position ended. She protested, saying things weren’t fair, but she had been given many warnings.
The expression “the handwriting on the wall” comes from today’s scripture from Daniel. The gist of the message on that wall to King Nebuchadnezzar was this: “You have been weighed in the scales and found wanting.”
That message was indeed true for the man in the first example above and for the woman in the second. He had been weighed and found wanting in his relationship. She had been weighed and found wanting in her leadership.
If either the man or the woman had been paying attention, they would’ve seen the handwriting on the wall, telling them that they needed to make some changes and adjustments. They had been warned, but both ignored the signs until it was too late to salvage the relationship or the work.
Today I ask us to really look at our life, our relationships, our work, and our health. Are there some messages we’ve been ignoring, messages we need to pay attention to so that we can make the adjustments we need to make?
I encourage us to read and heed the handwriting on the walls of our life so that we don’t become like the man who lost the love of his life, like the woman who lost the work she cherished, or like King Nebuchadnezzar who lost his life.
Reflection Questions:
- Are you really paying attention to the messages you may be receiving, or are you ignoring them?
- If those messages are telling you that you need to make some adjustments or changes, what are you going to do?
- Not paying attention to the messages in my life has cost me a great deal of pain. Is the same true for you? If so, would you be willing to get in touch with your own pain, not to wallow in shame or remorse, but to inspire and compel you to be a better reader of the signs in your life moving forward?