I often ponder a bit too much, and I sometimes reason within my own head certain things until I can finally come to a conclusion that seems logical… to me anyway.
It says in the Bible that we are formed by God in Isaiah 43:7 Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
So as most of you have gathered by now, I have been blessed (or cursed) with a sense of humor. There are a lot of folks that think Christian folks are supposed to be straight laced, starched, and pressed, stiff as a board with a sense of humor as dry as parched corn.
But I beg to differ.
I think our creator, almighty God himself has a sense of humor. Why else would he have given us a sense of humor if he himself didn’t have one?
Anyway, this morning we left the farm and were running late to church, so I mashed the pedal a little harder trying to get us to church on time. It reminded me of younger days when we were always trying to get to church on time with 2 kids in tow, after trying to find matching shoes while giving spit baths wiping dried milk and egg yolk off our kids faces and Sunday shirts.
I got to wondering the whole way to town if it was a sin to break the speed limit on your way church. How would God see it? Would I be punished for breaking the law? Will I, on that great day of judgment, be chastised for not getting around in a timely manner which then caused us to be late, and thereby choosing to break “mans law” of speeding by running 30 over the limit?
You see I just can’t quite get around that feeling I get when you walk into church late and everybody’s singing and those heavy church doors close behind you, and as it slams shut it sounds like someone pounded a bass drum. It’s like that door is announcing to everybody you’re here!
You’re late, but you made it! Then everybody does that rubbernecking thing, those judgmental eyes just staring you down like Clint Eastwood while silently saying to themselves “you feelin’ lucky punk.” And internally you know they are sentencing you 99 to life for being late.
Ahh, but now for further punishment you are forced to do the walk of shame. Like it was somehow planned, that all the church pews in the back of the building are to be filled first so that all the latecomers must run the gauntlet and find their way to any remaining empty pews up in the front.
When it happens I still get the same feeling that Jonah must’ve had after being in the belly of that whale for three days and nights only to be puked out on the beach in front of all those onlookers.
Next week I reckon I’ll try a little harder not to be late.
