Company’s Coming

One of the joys of having guests, in addition to the fellowship, is the necessity of “getting the joint cleaned up.” I am sure you know the drill. She has her priorities and concepts of cleanliness; I have mine. I lean toward pick up, with a major emphasis on tidying up those things which are at waist level and above. She is preoccupied with floor, baseboards, and the places inhabited by pets. I become concerned with the first impression given by the outside of the property and she centers her efforts within. Our only really shared responsibilities are the kitchen, guest room, and bath. We assault the house and completely ignore the guest’s request that we “don’t go to any trouble for us.” Ed. note: Martha in her finest hour.

As we await their arrival we slump in chairs and one of us always asks: “Why don’t we do this all the time?” We have in our married history, kept houses ready to be shown at a moments notice to prospective buyers. Trust me, we understand what a pain in the neck that exercise can be. Having that attitude has saved us the embarrassment of explaining endless aspects of functional items because the assumption is made that the home must be in fine shape because it looks well kept. This was especially true with our property in Las Vegas because the overall problem was exacerbated by the pool – a mistake I shall never make again. If the pool is not pristine, nothing else matters. If your pool looks like a fetid swamp it will diminish the price by 20% or more.

I dwell on this business because I see a parallel to preparations in our spiritual lives. How often do we become excited by isolated events (passages in the Bible?) and scurry to make things right. Regular readers know that I constantly charge them with reading the before and after of every powerful verse. If it’s verse 15, we need to read from the start of the chapter to see what led to the pronouncement and then follow to the end to understand the result. How many times do I hear a verse cited with little understanding of the entire context? Who said it? Who heard it? Where did it occur? When was it uttered? What was going on at the time? What was the necessity? What was the outcome? We do not get this information from one verse and sometimes not from the entire chapter. To give the gospel the importance it deserves requires that we be thorough in our efforts.

Are we prepared, spiritually, to proclaim that our house is in order? Can we demonstrate at any given moment, without additional preparation, that we fully understand the love of Jesus Christ and our role in propagating the faith? Most guests have the courtesy to call in advance and proffer a time frame for their arrival. Christ has done the same for us. He has added a note of mystery though. He has promised to come “as a thief in the night.” I take from this that He is saying we should not treat our faith as a part time job. He will come when He will and it our responsibility to be prepared to receive Him. “Honey, the boss is coming to dinner” pales to insignificance compared to the arrival of our Lord.

For a practicing Christian, the need for constant maintenance of our spiritual lives is an absolute necessity. Sweeping it under the rug may work when your mother-in-law calls but it is a dangerous activity for the advent of the Lord. Although some may disagree, I see the time of His coming as immaterial if I have made the effort to be ready. I do not really believe He would understand if I were a “Sunday only” type. That day was set aside after the work of the week had been accomplished. Since He is present during every moment of my life my task is clear. I must be constantly prepared for my ever present and ever welcome guest.

In His abiding love,

Cecil Moon