The writing’s on the wall

Did you pick up on this expression from the story in Daniel 5? This story is actually the origin of this widely used idiom. In this account, the writing on the wall is a warning to the king of what is to come, a sign that all is not well and that all will not end well.

Here are some of the dictionary definitions –

• there are clear signs that something will fail or no longer exist
• the likelihood that something bad will happen
• imminent danger has become apparent
• a sign or signs of approaching disaster
• When something becomes made clear, usually something bad. Signifies specifically figuring something out by reading between the lines of the situation. A realisation that – once made – would be foolish to ignore

Here are some areas in which we may say that the writing’s on the wall –

• the undeniable signs that all is not well for our planet
• the destabilising recent elections in the US and UK revealing an underlying discontent and desire for change
• the growing numbers of those turning to drug and alcohol abuse in our societies – especially our young people
• the struggle to survive for many mainstream churches in the UK
• the telltale signs in our own families that all is not well
• the little things in our relationships that warn us that cracks are beginning to form
• the symptoms that our bodies present us with to let us know there are underlying illnesses – physical and mental – that need to be addressed
• those inner messages of discontent that arise in our lives throughout the day that indicate we’re not living the healthy, happy, fulfilled life we were called to  live

Reasons why we sometimes choose to ignore the writing on the wall –

• we’re too busy – too busy to notice and too busy to deal with it if we do notice
• we feel helpless and don’t believe anything we do can make a difference
• we think it’s not our problem and that someone else should deal with it
• we’re scared to face the truth
• we don’t want the inconvenience of changing what we do and the way we do it
• we think it won’t directly affect us in our lifetime
• there’s always someone out there telling us that it really isn’t that bad
• we think if we ignore it, it will go away

Reasons why we shouldn’t ignore the writing on the wall –

• warnings are there to warn us to do something before it’s too late
• these signs demand a response
• we never know how close the crisis or disaster or breakdown is – why wait to find out?
• we can sometimes turn things around
• we will all be held accountable for what we have done and not done
• because things get harder and harder to deal with the longer we leave them
• because we care about our planet, our society, our relationships and our own bodies and minds

Look for the writing on the wall today.

A realisation that – once made – would be foolish to ignore