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Two city bank accounts got juiced last summer because I failed to read the posted signs. I take considerable pride in finding scarce parking slots. So, twice I congratulated myself on pulling into what I thought were legal, two-hour spaces. Twice I got nailed (pasted would be a better word) with stickers and fines because I did not see that these spaces had to be cleared by 4 p.m. to accommodate rush hour traffic.

Everyone agrees that ignorance is no excuse when it comes to breaking the law. Yet how hard it is to keep track of all the fine print and minute regulations that appear to stifle our freedom. But by and large we accept them for the sake of the public good, which includes freely flowing rush hour traffic.

My frustration was nothing compared to what faces missionaries when they set up shop in a different country. It seems that one easy way for poor, weak countries to get even with the rich, powerful countries is to torture their visitors as much as possible with red tape that seems as endless as the wheat fields of Kansas.

Every alien airport seems like a minefield in Afghanistan. Incomprehensible signs warn of dreadful consequences for a host of violations. What a relief to be whisked away with your bags to a friend’s house and not to a holding pen.

But missionaries face more serious dangers as well. They are not marked with NO PARKING AFTER 4 PM signs, but the warning signs are clearly posted prior to their leaving for the field. For example, they all know it will be tough to settle in a foreign culture, especially when you can’t talk to anyone except your wife and kids and other missionaries.

But too often some missionaries don’t pay much attention to their pre-field warnings. They assume they’ve got what it takes. They park, so to speak, and before long they get “fined” and sometimes sent home because they can’t settle in and be comfortable in radically different surroundings.

Then there’s the warning sign that says: Don’t be too eager for success. Don’t hurry for results. Don’t get discouraged when your work doesn’t pan out exactly as you hoped it would. Don’t give up because you’re tongue-tied.

Nevertheless, some missionaries ignore this warning and wonder why the local Christians aren’t falling all over themselves to learn the latest church stuff from the US. They thought unbelievers would be eager to hear the good news of Jesus, but they seem content with their own ancient religions. Missionaries like this tie themselves in knots because they feel they must have a computer full of attachments telling stories of great spiritual conquests. If they are not careful, they may invent some stories.

There’s a huge warning that says missionaries will probably fall into conflicts with their fellow workers and with their home offices. “Nah, that won’t happen to us,” some missionaries claim, because they think they are too solid spiritually. They are above petty quarrels and cliques.

However, the records show that much energy is consumed trying to solve mission family troubles and disagreements. The “fines” in cases like these could easily resemble the federal deficit. That’s hyperbole, of course. But if anyone ever tried to multiply the woman and man hours expended on settling conflicts times the average hourly wage, the total would be astonishing.

I’ve posted only three warning signs. The Bible is full of them. Perhaps we missionaries and supporting friends fail because we do not take the fine print seriously. We can be sure that if there’s a trap in Scripture to look out for, more than one of us will fall into it.

We need daily doses of Christ’s resurrection power to keep us out of trouble. God has his ways of keeping the traffic flowing at rush hour. It’s best for us if we get out of the way and allow him to do his work his way. His fines are usually painful.

September 6, 2002