Author
Doug Mendenhall shares a brief parable that should cause all of us to pause and
reflect:
Jesus called the other day to say he was passing through and [wondered
if] he could spend a day or two with us.
I said, "Sure. Love to see you. When will you hit town?"
I mean, it's Jesus, you know, and it's not every day you get the
chance to visit with him. It's not like it's your in-laws and you have to stop
and decide whether the advantages outweigh your having to move to the sleeper
sofa.
That's when Jesus told me he was actually at a convenience store out
by the interstate.
I must have gotten that Bambi-in-headlights look, because my wife
hissed, "What is it? What's wrong? Who is that?"
So I covered the receiver and told her Jesus was going to arrive in
eight minutes, and she ran out of the room and started giving guidance to the
kids—in that effective way that Marine drill instructors give guidance to
recruits. …
My mind was already racing with what needed to be done in the next
eight—no seven—minutes so Jesus wouldn't think we were reprobate loser slobs.
I turned off the TV in the den, which was blaring some weird scary
movie I'd been half watching. But I could still hear screams from our bedroom,
so I turned off the reality show it was tuned to. Plus, I turned off the kids'
set out on the sun porch, because I didn't want to have to explain Jon &
Kate Plus Eight to Jesus, either, six minutes from now.
My wife had already thinned out the magazines that had been
accumulating on the coffee table. She put Christianity Today on top for a good
first impression. Five minutes to go.
I looked out the front window, but the yard actually looked great
thanks to my long, hard work, so I let it go. What could I improve in four
minutes anyway?
I did notice the mail had come, so I ran out to grab it. Mostly it was
Netflix envelopes and a bunch of catalogs tied into recent purchases, so I
stuffed it back in the box. Jesus doesn't need to get the wrong idea—three
minutes from now—about how much on-line shopping we do.
I plumped up sofa pillows, my wife tossed dishes into the sink, I
scolded the kids, and she shooed the dog. With one minute left I realised
something important: Getting ready for a visit from Jesus is not an
eight-minute job.
Then the doorbell rang.
Doug Mendenhall, "Getting Prepared for the
Arrival of Jesus," www.reporternews.com (24 September 2009)
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