There was once a town that was full of life and abundance. Love and peace were staples of this community and people gathered to share each other’s burdens and build each other up. Hospitality was a way of life practiced all over this little town. In fact, people from far and wide wanted to come to this town after they figured out their own towns just didn’t offer the abundance of life and love that this little town offered. It was the kind of little town that seemed to transform its residents into beacons of joy and the residents just couldn’t help but to extend that joy to everyone else. Even on the bad days–and yes, there were bad days–this town just had an amazing way of banding together around one another in such a way that no resident ever doubted the faithfulness of the little town.
The mayor of this town was wise and full of love for the people. Every policy instituted was weighed and measured by what was best for the people and how love and peace could be extended even further. This mayor was steadfast to the people and to the mission that this town would be open to all who wished to come and be transformed by the alternative lifestyle this town exemplified.
One day, the mayor decided it might be a good idea to let more people from outside of the town know about the joys of this little town in a new way. The mayor decided it would be a good idea to build a beautiful sign that could direct people to the little town. Surely this way people from far and wide would know of the abundance of life and love and joy that was present in the little town. So the mayor commissioned a group of residents to form a team to oversee the project of building this sign. The mayor’s only instruction to the team: Make sure it’s a sign that easily points people directly to our town.
So the residents set out together to begin the process of planning and crafting this sign.
As the planning took shape, one of the team members suggested they add a little extra color. “People will surely see the sign better if we add a little extra color. And if they can see the sign better, they’ll more easily know how to get to our little town.” So the group took a vote and decided that the sign would be better with a little extra color. They just knew the mayor would be proud of their decision to enhance the sign.
When it came time to put the plans down and create the physical sign, another idea emerged. “What if we made the sign larger than we originally planned? That way even more people could see our sign and know how to get to our little town.” So they made the sign 3x larger than they had originally planned. They just knew the mayor would love knowing this sign would be even larger than originally planned.
Soon the day came when the sign was to be completed. They hoisted up their extra large, extra colorful sign and stood around to admire their handiwork. But there was something missing.
“We need lights,” one of the team members suggested.
Everyone on the team thought that was a fine idea. Lights would make their sign even more attractive and easy to see. If the sign was more attractive and eye-catching, then surely more people would know how to get to their little town. The team just knew the mayor would be proud of them for adding such a useful feature to the sign.
Finally the team stood around and admired their extra large, extra colorful, abundantly lit sign and marveled at their handiwork. It wasn’t long, however, before concerns were raised among members of the team.
“What if it rains, how will our sign stay dry?”
“What about the heat, will our sign overheat and get damaged by the sun?”
“What about vandals who might damage our sign? What do we do about the sketchy folks we don’t want around our sign? Do we need security to keep them out?”
The group went on and on. They came up with one scenario after another of how their precious sign–the result of many long, agonizing hours of work–could be protected from various elements and conditions that could damage it.
After some time of debate, the team decided the best thing to do would be to consult the mayor. They knew their top priority was to protect this sign but they couldn’t agree as to the best way to do so. Surely the mayor would have a thoughtful answer! They decided it would be best to organize their various plans and write them down. This way they could present the various scenarios and their solutions in an orderly fashion. So they spent some time crafting all of this in writing and then went back to the little town to seek the counsel of the wise mayor.
The group arrived at the mayor’s office and began by telling the mayor how beautiful the sign had turned out. They delighted in telling the mayor that this sign was so much more beautiful and eye-catching than they had originally planned. And it was because of this that they grew concerned about possible ways the sign could be damaged. So they began to present their plans and scenarios according to their reports. In presenting these plans they conveyed to the mayor just how much they loved this sign and wanted nothing more than to protect it so that it could be a lasting symbol of their little town and the team’s hard work.
To the amazement of the team members, the mayor responded with a disappointed sigh.
“All of this sounds fine but you seem to have forgotten the original mission of this project,” the mayor said.
“What do you mean?” one of the team members answered. “You sent us to make the most beautiful and eye-catching sign ever. And we just want to protect the sign so that it will last for years to come.”
“Yes, it’s a beautiful sign for all to see,” the mayor answered. “But you forgot something even more important. The sign was meant to point people to our little town–nothing more and nothing less. And you’ve spent so much time working on the sign, protecting it and trying to preserve it, that you’ve made the sign itself the top priority instead of its ability to clearly direct people to our little town.”
And with that, the team left the mayor’s office with their heads hung in shame.