There's an interesting story told in Matthew 25 about 10 sleepy virgins.
It's not a story of 5 virgins and 5 whores, it's a story of 10 virgins. Clean,
pure, chaste, undefiled, honorable. And all 10 want be in on the marriage
supper. But alas, they're all snoozing. Finally an alarm clock goes off at
midnight to awaken them from their slumber, but for half of them it's too late
for them to respond. Interestingly, they all awaken at the SAME TIME, but for
half of them, it is already too late. It made me wonder: When is "too late" too
late?
Think of the story this way...
Let's say the President of the United States invites you to dinner at the
Whitehouse. Dinner will begin precisely at 7:00, and there will be no allowance
for late comers. The gates to the Whitehouse will shut at precisely 7:00, and
nobody else will be allowed in. Granted, inside the Whitehouse a wonderful time
will be had by all, with lots of good food on the menu to freely partake of.
All you must do is be inside by 7:00 if you want to join in. That's it. That
said, 7:01 would be too late.
Or would it?
Let's say you got the invitation to the party that morning, and decided to
attend. But since you live several hours away, need to rent a black tux, and
need to get a haircut, you must begin preparing no later than 7 hours before the
event. Based on the distance YOU need to travel, and the things YOU must get
done, YOU must be wholly devoted to the occassion no later than 12:00 if you
want to make it there before the gates close at 7:00. Your neighbors may be
mowing their yard, sister Sally may be grocery shopping, and the car may need a
tune-up. Those are all things you want to do too, but if you plan to go to the
party, and need a full 7 hours to prepare, then for you "too late" is 12:01.
You see, your sister at the grocery store, who is going to the party too,
already has her dress and her hair cut. So you can't let her actions govern
yours. If you do, your last minute-trip to the grocery store at 12:05 will cost
you a party that is still several hours away.
Think of that for a moment. The sun is still up, and there are several
hours to go before the party begins. But because you're living like everyone
else, and frittering away your time on non-essentials, you are already too
late! It doesn't feel too late, and it doesn't look too late, but for you, it's
too late. Take your shoes off, pull up a chair and grab the remote, because you
won't get past the Secret Service once the gates are locked. You have missed a
party that hasn't even started yet, all because you won't prepare early enough,
or put on blinders to what society is doing around you. It's 12:01...and you
have missed the party...you just don't realize it yet. So "too late" comes
earlier than most think.
Just some musings on this fine sunny day. Remember this...
The opportunity of a lifetime must be seized during the lifetime of the
opportunity. Windows of opportunity close. But when the window is open, it's
better to be 10 years too early than 1 second too late. Don't be lulled to
sleep because the sun is still up, the deadline doesn't appear to be that close,
and you want to spend your "now" like everyone else. Based on where you have to
go, and how much you need to get done, you may have less time than you think.
Hopefully for YOU, it isn't already too late.
SDG
No comments:
Post a Comment