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Reflections On God Biography Come
To Your Senses
Colossians 4:2
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and
thankful.
Hebrews 2:17
For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human
in every way, in order that he might become a merciful
and faithful high priest in service to God, and that
he might make atonement for the sinful people.
Words That End in ful…..
I finally got
my chance to be on the big game show! Not the one where you
dress up like a clown or in some other amusing costume. Not
the one where you bid on a prize against other contestants
and hope not to overbid by even one dollar. Not the one
where you guess letters of the alphabet and a lady dressed
in an elegant evening gown serves as an assistant to the
host and reveals the letters. No, I was going to the big
one, the one where knowledge is a must. The other shows
involved a little luck and who needs luck when you have
knowledge?
I don’t want to sound boastful but on this game show I’d get
the chance to illustrate my smarts sort of! I had prepared
for this day nearly all my life studying world events,
educating myself about every conceivable medical condition,
becoming a know-it-all within the world of sports. I was
the most prepared contestant ever to stand before the six
columns of categories that each had five hidden answers on
the big blue screen of Jeopardy!
This was my chance to shine, and shiny I was! I wore a stylish
pin-stripe suit with a bold colored tie. My bling included
an oversized wristwatch and a lapel pin that was sure to
sparkle under the studio lights! Even my rings would
impress the others! Truth be told, (it doesn’t hurt to be
truthful every now and then) all those ornaments of
adornment were fake, nothing more than `costume jewelry I
picked up on the cheap at the flea market. But no one
needed to know, this was all for show!
I spent my time in the Green Room, (that’s what they call the
waiting room on the game show circuit) enjoying a feast of
fresh fruits and veggies and all kinds of goodness in
appetizers and hors d’oeuvres that awaited the three chosen
competitors for the taping of the show. Funny thing though,
I was the only one in the room except for some little old
lady sitting quite proper in one of the comfortable chairs
in the room. Must be the attendant for the buffet was my
thought or maybe the maid.
I think I overate on the complimentary delicacies but something
like this doesn’t happen often so I wrapped some more
goodies in napkins and stuffed my pockets for a snack for a
little later just in case. A voice from a wall mounted
speaker alerted me that it was time to head to the studio
for the show! Moments later an attendant came to the door
to serve as my escort. I checked my face and front of my
suit for crumbs at a mirror and made my way down the hall on
my way to victory!
The set was a little different than what I was used to seeing on
television. First, there were only two podiums for
contestants and the big blue answer board had just three
categories. I found that rather peculiar. The studio
lights were so bright I couldn’t see anyone in the
audience. A few moments later the little old lady came out
and took her place at the second podium. Oh geez, is she
the other contestant? Pitiful sight she was hardly
could stand up straight and not nearly tall enough to speak
into the microphone. Here I was dressed to the hilt and all
she wore was a plain white robe-looking dress.
Without much fanfare the game show host came out. He wasn’t the
regular guy either. Dressed in a nice yet simple white suit
with a red rose sticking from his lapel he welcomed the two
of us to this special edition of Jeopardy. I glanced down
at my apparent opponent observing her carefully. Her
fingers showing the effects of arthritis clung to the
podium. I thought there was no way she could beat me to the
buzzer, this was going to be a cake walk! Everything seemed
sort of surreal, the unfamiliar host, the frail opponent,
the shorter answer board, but it was game on!
The host revealed the three categories:
Women of Calcutta, Words that
end in “ful” and Give ‘em Hell. Next were the
introductions. The host preferred to go by his initials JC,
then me, Big D and finally the homely woman said her name
was Teresa.
I won
the coin toss and chose Give ‘em Hell for two hundred
dollars. JC read the answer, “a braggart”. Before I could
hit my buzzer, my fair opponent beat me to the punch and
softly replied, “What is boastful?” Correct!
Ironically, she chose Women of Calcutta for eight hundred
and again outplayed me. In fact, she cleaned my clock in
that category. Even with all my preparation I wasn’t too
knowledgeable about anything happening in Calcutta.
Next
Teresa chose Words that end in “ful” for four
hundred. “The answer is, believing firmly in something or
somebody, especially God.” Without hesitation she scored
with, “What is faithful, JC?” I scratched my head.
My hands felt a little clammy. My level of confidence was
shrinking with each of her responses. I wasn’t winning. I
was beginning to have an awful feeling in my gut.
JC
read the next answer, “The shepherds were this by night.”
Ding, ding. “What is watchful?” the saintly women
chimed in. I pulled my silk handkerchief from my pocket and
wiped my sweaty brow. This whole thing was turning into a
dreadful experience. As she continued to roll
through the categories, Teresa picked a Double Jeopardy for
one thousand dollars. “These two thieves hung at the
crucifixion, one to the left and one to the right. What
were they?” Without pause Teresa replied, “What is
sorrowful (expressing great remorse) and spiteful
(full of petty malice).” My feelings went from dreadful
to pitiful to woeful quite suddenly. Teresa
glimpsed at me and winked. She had sort of an angelic look
about her. JC just chuckled at the score!
Ever
mindful that I was running out of time to be the
champion, I quickly rebounded with a couple of correct
answers in the Give ‘em Hell category. I was hopeful
that I could still peel off a victory. I secretly rubbed
the rabbit’s foot I had in my pants pocket. JC revealed the
categories for Round Two and to my utter amazement the
second two were the same! The first category was replaced
with Signs of a Sinner all ending with ful! The
little lady that now seemed to stand ten feet tall danced
through them with ease. Deceitful; intentionally
misleading someone. Sinful; engaged in behavior that
goes against the law or teachings of God. Hurtful;
causing pain or suffering to others. Embarrassed and full
of shame, yeah, shameful, I hung my head and admitted
defeat. The prize I desired was not to be. No glory for an
attitude lacking gratitude.
This
beautiful modest lady had shown me something about
myself. I reluctantly congratulated her on besting me and
as we parted I mumbled, “I could use a little compassion
here!” Teresa turned and stoically replied, “Merciful,
Big D. The Lord! The Lord is kind and merciful!”
I was
stirred by the gentle nudge of my bride, “Honey, wake up!
Did you enjoy your nap? Jeopardy is about to start. You
looked like you were having a dream!”
So
friend, which category do you mostly identify with? Can you
respond like Teresa to be thankful, joyful,
see the Lord as bountiful? Or has it been more of a
shameful ordeal for you? Can you recognize those
times when you were hurtful to others or deceitful
to yourself? Are you able to turn to a merciful
God? He’s not hidden behind a big blue screen of clues.
He’s here, within you and among you! Beautiful!
Just beautiful!
We
can learn a lot from the little Saint from Calcutta can’t
we? I have!
Peace
Dave
© 2011
I appreciate your comments.
dpolitte57@gmail.com
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