Faith

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In our little rural area, we often feel a bit left out. We are at the northernmost end of Tenterfield Shire and seem to get the scraps when it comes to council funding. We use all the services across the border in Stanthorpe Shire, yet as we are not residents there, we usually don’t get a say in all the Stanthorpe issues that affect us.

It’s okay, living away from the towns though… it’s nice to know we live in a quiet area that hasn’t quite become over-run by tourists and developers (yet!) Amongst the cattle properties that sprawl into the thousands of acres, the houses are fairly well spaced apart. People who live 15 - 30 kilometres away are still considered our neighbours. We are glad to be a community where most long-term residents know each other, the vehicles they drive and what sort of dogs they own. (The latter information comes in handy when a lost dog is seen trotting along the road after falling off the back of a ute!)

We have a well-trained fire brigade, a local hall with regular social nights, a school bus committee and local farmers’ group. Just a couple of kilometres from the village of Liston is the location of what was once a township called Amosfield. It is now merely a small collection of houses, and serves as the landmark where people turn to head for the Mount Lindesay Highway.

Another feature at the intersection in Amosfield is the community noticeboard. It’s sponsored by the Liston Hall and Liston CWA group, and is in a convenient location inside a fence at the edge of the road. Most times, we see announcements for social nights, meetings and open gardens in the area. However, recently I saw a new addition.

In black marker pen was written the Bible quote: “Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone.” The space below these two handwritten lines was ‘signed’: - God.

I guess there’s a logical explanation – maybe someone had a dispute with another person and wanted to direct that person to a more noble resolution. Or perhaps some Christian saw this sign as an opportunity to share some words of inspiration for life from the Bible.

But I laughed and saw it another way. Wow! I thought. God has been here. (…I knew it because He’d even signed His name!)

I know you may think I am clutching at straws… but what if we visualised God walking along a quiet country road and leaving some memento of His visit. Just imagine – the King of the Universe came to our little neck of the woods! We are not forgotten – we have been blessed by God’s presence.

I see the evidence of God’s amazing creative power all around me. I feel the warmth of His love, through direct communion with Him, and through the support of my friends. Is it so hard to believe that He could even leave some modern graffiti or ‘writing on the wall’? He can accomplish much through unseen means but I’d like to think, just maybe, He could also carry out His plans with a humble marker pen.

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“God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.” Acts 17:27 (NIV)

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