An image is coming to me this morning of children. Their mother told them they could go outside while she was preparing dinner. A very important guest was coming, and she wanted the dinner to be very special. She had already prepared the children...baths, hair, clean clothes. She told them "dinner will be ready soon, so do not leave the yard. I want you to be able to hear me when I call!"
The children go out to play in the yard, close to the house, because they want to hear when their mother calls them in. She said "soon." They are also very excited to meet this special guest. They can tell by their mother's mood that she is very excited, too.
The yard is very beautiful. There is plenty to keep them busy. It is surrounded by a white picket fence. It is a beautiful, secure area for them to play, yet stay close to the house.
Mother, they think, is in the kitchen preparing dinner. What they don't see is the people showing up at the front door. Mother has to keep delaying the preparation of the dinner because these people that are showing up are in need.....she must tend to their needs. It is known all over, that she is the one to go to if in need.
The children, thinking dinner would be "soon", and not hearing mom call, grow restless. They decide to venture outside the gate because there are things to do, friends to see. They will still hear her if she calls, they think. They all go out....one following the other. They become busy....there is so much to see and do! They become distracted by all the activity outside the gate. There is music coming from the neighbors house, another is having a garage sale, there are children swimming and playing in the river, there are neighbors having a barbecue, one is cutting his grass with a very loud mower. They become engaged and attracted by all this activity...they feel free! Two choose to go swimming, three decide they want to see what's for sale...there might be something they need....two more are drawn to the music, and the other three decide to join the neighbors in their barbecue. They are hungry after all, their dinner was delayed.
They are all so busy, they have forgotten about what their mother told them. They have also forgotten about meeting the important guest that they had all looked forward to just an hour before. By now, their clothes have been soiled, their hair is a mess, and they're feeling fulfilled and happy. Then, they remember.
In their fear, they become disgruntled with their mother. They know they disobeyed, and wandered outside the fence. "But she took too long!" "She said "soon!" "How were we supposed to wait that long to eat?" "She shouldn't have made us wait so long!" "What were we supposed to do, just sit and wait?" Children always make excuses when they know they have done wrong.
They run home. They run through the gate and into the house, expecting an empty table and their mother waiting. What they see is a beautiful dinner. Their chairs are now full of people. The table is crowded. There is a very handsome man, sitting at the head. His eyes are captivating. He exudes love and joy. He has captured the attention of everyone there. They think, "that must be the special guest mother wanted us to meet!" They wonder who all these people are that are sitting in their chairs. They do not realize that they are the people who were in need, showing up at the front door that they could not see. They do not realize that these people were why their mother was delayed. They do not realize that their mother had called, but they were too busy, and could not hear. They had left the yard, and disobeyed her instructions.
They are suddenly very sorry. They realize now what they did. They run to their mother, who is busy serving the guests. They plead with her to forgive them. They see the absolute love in her eyes, the understanding that only a mother has. She tells them, " I told you to stay in the safety of the yard. I gave you plenty to do. I was so surprised that when I called, you had left. My heart was broken that you did not trust what your mother told you! Now go, wash yourselves. Then return, because there is little time left to introduce you to our guest!"
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