Five Simple Signs

In 1952, at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, anesthesiologist Virginia Apgar noticed something troubling: doctors had no standard method to evaluate a newborn's condition in those critical first minutes of life. Babies were whisked aside while attention stayed on the mother, and too often, subtle signs of distress went unrecognized. So Apgar devised a deceptively simple solution — five observable criteria, each scored from zero to two: heart rate, breathing effort, muscle tone, reflex response, and skin color. Within one minute of birth, any nurse or doctor could determine whether a child was thriving or needed immediate help. First published in 1953, the Apgar Score has since been applied to millions of newborns worldwide, saving countless lives through the wisdom of knowing exactly what to look for.

When the angel appeared to shepherds outside Bethlehem, he offered them something remarkably similar — not a complex theological treatise, but simple, observable signs: "You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger" (Luke 2:12). Swaddling cloths. A feeding trough. That was enough. God, in His wisdom, knew that truth does not need to be complicated to be profound.

Wisdom is rarely the accumulation of more knowledge. It is the discernment to recognize what matters most. Apgar taught medicine to watch for five vital signs. The angel taught the shepherds to watch for two. Both point to the same reality: when God reveals something important, He makes the signs clear enough for anyone willing to look.