I'm late! I'm late!

 

“I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date. No time to say, ‘Hello, Goodbye.’ I’m late, I’m late. I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date. No time to say, ‘Hello, Goodbye.’ I’m late, I’m late.”

—The White Rabbit

Nearly everyone recognizes the scene in the story from Lewis Carroll’s (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) delightful book, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland in which the White Rabbit, in a panic, races down the road and into the rabbit hole. Alice, in bewilderment follows him down the hole, and experiences all the adventures in Wonderland.

I must confess, I am rather like the White Rabbit. I hate to arrive late, and don’t like anything to get in my way when I’m heading for an appointment. We can probably all name a handful of people in our churches who would also fit that description. We also know which friends will almost always come late to a worship service, or a meeting.

While I believe that to make a habit of arriving late shows rude behavior, I need to also realize that insisting on getting somewhere on time, no matter what kind of interruption comes up, can show potential disobedience to the Holy Spirit. Let me illustrate this latter point using Jesus as an example.

One day Jesus was interrupted by a sickly woman as He hurried off to heal a little girl. (Luke 8:40-56). Instead of ignoring her, or brushing her aside, even telling her He’d come back to listen to her, He stopped, heard her plea and healed her.

Another day, Jesus and a crowd of followers left Jericho together on the way to Jerusalem. Jesus knew His days were numbered before the crucifixion as He headed out to Jerusalem. Some Scriptures say that He had set His face steadfastly toward Jerusalem (Luke 9:51). On the way, He encountered a blind man, Bartimaeus. Jesus stopped, cared for, and healed the man. (Mark 10:46-52.)

On still another occasion, when Jesus taught about loving our neighbors, He used the story of the Priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37). This story serves as an illustration of Christian love, the kind that Jesus would want His disciples to possess. I presume each man in the story had something important for which he traveled this road. Perhaps each was concerned about safety for himself on this road known for its bandits.

Nevertheless, the busy Priest and Levite (God’s holy men) avoided the interruption presented by an injured man by walking on the other side of the road. Instead of helping, they purposely walked away from this wounded man, who hadn’t been fortunate enough to travel in safety. The Samaritan, however, went near and took the time to listen, tend to, and help the man in an extraordinary way. Jesus used him as an illustration as the one who pleased God.

The Lesson for me today: I must get out of my “zone” of the importance of arriving on time if it causes me to disregard anyone God might put in my way. This person, this interruption, may just be the most important thing I will do all day, or all week.

Please join me in this prayer:

Lord, make us all aware of how we use the time You have given us. Let us be careful to arrive on time as often as we can. But, remind us to look for the ways You might be leading us to minister to others, regardless of how much time it might take.