Delays and Deadlines
When the time comes, will you be ready?
Jesus said, “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” - Matthew 25:1-13
I feel like I am always working against the clock, like a procrastinator who suddenly realizes the deadline is approaching.
Deadlines are extreme motivators for me, and for many.
It is important for me to know when something is due, to get my energy level up, to get me going.
The bridesmaids knew the wedding was going to happen, so they should have been ready. But not knowing exactly when the bridegroom would arrive made them lazy.
Perhaps they expected he would come soon, so they didn't make provisions for a long wait.
If you have ever had to go to an emergency room in a hospital, you know what it is like to have to wait and wait without knowing when you will be called.
Recently I waited two hours to see a doctor, forcing me to push everything on my calendar for the day to another time.
We are controlled by the clock. We let it be our master, and yet, we often find we fail to account for delays in our schedule.
When we wait until the last minute to tackle a problem, we may find we didn't account for all that could and will go wrong. And in the end, we lose.
The bridesmaids are a reflection of us when we put off being ready.
Of course, Jesus knows, just telling us this parable won't change our behavior. That is something we have to do on our own, and we probably won't do it until we miss a deadline and fail to gain a great opportunity.
More to come...