Traffic Lights, Door Knobs and Smoke Detectors

Growing up in rural southern Kentucky I was not accustomed to traffic lights. We did have stop signs, but there really was no need for traffic lights. The little town where I went to school still doesn’t have any traffic lights. I’ve gotten used to those blasted lights where I live now. It seems I can’t drive a hundred yards without hitting a red light. I hate having to stop at a red light even when I’m not in a hurry. Sherri doesn’t care, and is annoyed with me when I get upset by having to stop. I have noticed while waiting for the light to change how many traffic lights there are especially at a large intersection. I have counted as many as 15 or 16 at one intersection. That is the truth! Count them if you don’t believe me. Multiply that by the many intersections, plus those places that may only have one or two. In a large metroplex there are probably tens of thousands traffic lights. It’s no wonder it takes an hour to drive 20 miles across town.

I’ve thought about that and considered how much money those who make traffic lights must make. Think about it! Just in the United States there must be billions of traffic lights. Whoever makes these things must be a billionaire. I’ve thought about buying stock in the company or companies that make these things.

Another product that would rival the enormous number of traffic lights is smoke detectors. We stay in hotels and motels a lot. There are hundreds of thousands of places where travelers can spend the night. Every room has to have a smoke detector or two. Get out your pencil and figure how many of those are bought in a years time. Think about how many you have in your house, where you work, and where you eat. Somebody is making a killing selling smoke detectors.

Finally, there is the door knob and door handles. Our new house has door handles which I like because I don’t have to set something down that I am carrying to open it. I think all of the houses in our subdivision have these because most of us are old, and some of us may have trouble gripping a door knob. I can’t even fathom how many door opening devices there must be. Have you priced a nice door knob lately? Have you bought a front door knob or handle? They ain’t cheap. I could keep going about this topic with doors, windows, cell phones, ATMs and hundreds of things that no one knew about when I was a boy. It is amazing how people in our country have become rich.

There is nothing wrong with being rich as long as we give credit to the one who has blessed us with the ability to be successful in that way. All of us are rich in the Lord if we have Jesus. If we know him our riches await us as we receive our inheritance in heaven. I just pray that there are no traffic lights up there.