Where's the Wolf?
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I am a fairly patient person. I like to arrive on time, be prepared and get right to the task at hand, but I usually don't get too upset if I am the only one who feels that way.
The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.- Peter 3:10
Today's reading from Peter reminds us that things don't necessarily happen in our timeframe.
God, he tells us, has patience with us, probably a lot more patience than we have with each other or with ourselves.
He waits.
It actually makes a lot of sense, given that he has all the time in creation. Time, after all, is one of His things. It doesn't belong to us, as much as we think it should.
So, if He is giving us all this time to get ourselves straightened out, why aren't we using it?
I think we have this "Boy Who Cried Wolf" attitude when it comes to apocalyptic prophets, those who tell us the end is near and we need to repent.
Jesus and his disciples, along with all the disciples of John before him, had that message to share as well, and because they died without it coming about, we shrug it off. Where's the wolf? we ask.
When we hear the expression, "It will come like a thief in the night," we envision a crafty, sly God who is waiting to catch us unaware.
But Peter is saying the opposite. He is holding the door of the bus open, waiting for us to get on board.
It is we who become impatient, honking our horns at the motionless bus, wanting it to move on, get out of our way.
When we fail to see the expected goal reached, or the end is not in sight, or the wolf does not appear, we get a false sense of security, not unlike the calm before the storm or the long peace before the next war, or the period of no terrorist activity after 9/11.
We only fool ourselves if we are not prepared for the next wave, or the final curtain.
Whether the judgment comes for all in our lifetime, or our lives end before it does, the endgame is the same for us, isn't it?
We will meet our own extinction, and only then will we know the truth.
Surprise!
Does it matter if there is no wolf? If we have a chance to be prepared for its coming, we gain something else. We band together. We work toward a common goal. We seek peace among ourselves and with others.
When we have a common enemy, we have more patience with each other.
So, why not get ready?
It makes sense to me. But then again, I think I hear the wolf.
More to come...