When I was a young man, Father assigned me a rather menial and boring task outside of our hangar/shop. Part of the job required my full attention and another part only needed my effort every hour or so. I was working busily when Father came and said he needed to go somewhere in his Beechcraft Bonanza. Off he went, and immediately “opportunity” flew into my head.
You see, there were something more interesting for me to do inside the shop. Admittedly it was more of a fun nature then what one would call work, and it had nothing to do with my assignment, but it was easy to rationalize that I would still keep at least part of my outside work going. Besides, Father would be gone for a couple of hours so it really didn’t matter. He’d never know.
So, there I was happily engaged in my frivolous project when I heard the Bonanza engine rev up as Father came into the hangar. He had landed and taxied up without my hearing or seeing a thing. If you knew Father, you’d surmise that this wasn’t a good scenario. It would have been hard to explain myself to his satisfaction.
There was no door out without being seen, but oh – – there was an open shop window, and an air compressor nearby that I could climb up on to make a hasty exit. I quickly hid the thing I was working (??) on, and out I went. Thumping heart and all.
Turns out – – Father had taken off and flown north only a few minutes when he decided he had too much to do at home, so he came right back. I will never ever forget that moment of terror and have often thought of it as an illustration of what many professing Christians will soon face. The difference is that they won’t have an open shop window and an air compressor, and they won’t have a place to run to, to look busy.
They will be more disappointed than the five foolish virgins of Mt. 25:1-13. The trumpet of I Thess. 4:16 and the roar of II Peter 3:10 will be more frightening than the sound of Father’s Bonanza engine. And they will be more caught by surprise than by a thief as in Rev. 16:15.
It will be, “5-4-3-2-1 here I come ready or not!” like when we kids played Hide-and-Seek. Our Lord has returned and there’s no hiding.
What number are we at now?
Ken Stoltzfus, Kidron, OH
June 19, 2020
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