* Photo is the public domain - http://commons.wikipedia.org
In our society today, it takes all kinds of people to make a company successful. For every CEO, one can find vice presidents, secretaries, messengers, and a slew of workers, right down to the custodians and security guards that help keep a building clean and secure. To this end, some jobs are more desired than others.
A few months ago, I was looking through the newspaper classifieds when I came across a rather odd advertisement for a job. This particular company (or group) was looking for people to become human arrows. I thought to myself, "What in the world does a job like this entail?" Maybe it had something to do with individuals taking packages or letters from one location to another. Maybe it was like being a concierge at a hotel, informing guests of the best restaurants or helping them to secure good tickets to a hot concert. Maybe it was being one of those folks that stands in the airport terminal with a sign reading "Mr. Wilson" or "Mrs. Smith."
I honestly had no clue.
It wasn't too long until I found out what a human arrow was. Driving to the store that weekend, I spotted one, and suddenly it all made sense to me. It turns out that a human arrow is a person that is paid to stand on the side of a road (or at a street corner) and advertise for a particular establishment (as seen in the picture above*). These individuals hold up a sign shaped like an arrow to attract business, hence the name. This method of advertising is being increasingly used by cell phone companies, housing developments, and even restaurants.
After learning what the people who do this are called, I started thinking about our role as ambassadors for the Lord Jesus. In many ways, we are human arrows that have the opportunity to point people towards God. It's not an option if one calls themselves a Christian, but an integral part of the equation.
There are four key traits that separate an effective human arrow for God from one who is ineffective. I hope you find them useful in your situation.
The first and most obvious trait of a human arrow for Christ is that they actually have an arrow to use. Without one, it becomes quite difficult to convince people to stop by the establishment being advertised. A person without an arrow could look just like anyone else on the street corner or sidewalk, for there is nothing significant to set them apart from other people. For the Christian, this arrow is critical because it's difficult to tell others about Jesus if you don't know him in a meaningful and saving manner. And the only way to know him is to understand the significance of his life, why he came to earth, why he died on a cross, and what his return to life means. This can only be accomplished through a one-on-one relationship with him—no exceptions. Thus, one must have this relationship before the arrow can even come into play.
There is a second critical aspect of being successful at the position—one needs to point the arrow in the correct direction. If the young lady holding the arrow for the local pizza parlor turned her arrow the wrong way, passers-by might think that the restaurant could be in a nearby subdivision or even a completely different town. In the same way, the direction a Christian points the arrow is important. As we go through our days, we are constantly pointing people to God or to other less meaningful things. Thus, we need to constantly ask God what he wants us to do, then allow our lives to be directed by him so that the arrow we hold points others in his direction. After all, he desires that all people come to a knowledge of the truth he is and embodies (see 1 Timothy 2:1-4). So why not point people the right way?
Human arrows also must be active in order to attract customers. I've seen some people just holding their arrows, and I've seen others getting a workout from constantly moving their signs, as if to accentuate the direction they want people to go. Which do you think would be more effective? I think so too.
For a Christian, the key is to know that a life for Christ cannot be lived on auto-pilot. It's not ritualistic; it's not academic; it's not spent on the sofa with a remote control in hand. God demands that we get up and actively engage society with all its quirks, foibles, and stains from sin. It's messy, but whoever said that a life of faith would be easy? Not Jesus, that's for sure! (see John 16:1-4 for a look at what he told his disciples before he was crucified) We cannot live lives completely free of engaging with the world, so it's best that we stop avoiding it and start engaging it with the message Jesus brought to earth.
Finally, a good human arrow has to be alert at all times. In driving around town, I've observed a number of these people that acted oblivious to the world around them, entranced in the music coming from their iPod or perhaps just bored out of their minds. If a person works a job, they are expected to give their best 100% of the time, and for people pointing others to Jesus, the same is true. Opportunities will come as God directs them, and our responsibility at those times is to make the most of them, as Paul noted in Colossians 4:5-6. To do otherwise is to not be as effective an ambassador as we need to be.
Are you being as useful an arrow as you need to be? Consider these four qualities, and the next time you come across an individual holding an arrow on the side of the road (or the first time if you've never seen one in person), may you remember that we are to be the same way to those we meet, bringing them closer to God. And as he makes you an arrow (or more effective arrow), may you be refreshed, that you may go and refresh others.
"We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God."
--Paul, 2 Corinthians 5:20 (NIV)
"Truth without enthusiasm, morality without emotion, ritual without soul, are things Christ unsparingly condemned. Destitute of fire, they are nothing more than a godless philosophy, an ethical system, and a superstition."
--Samuel Chadwick
