It would be easier, wouldn’t it, if we could just put Jesus on the shelf next to Mom and apple pie and all the other uncontroversial, happy-place things that nobody will disagree with? Like baseball. Disney movies. Handmade quilts. Daisies. Wouldn’t you like to line Jesus up next to all those good things? We would see him sitting on that pleasing row of things that we love and we’d say, “You look good there, Jesus!” “Thanks for everything.”

            If only Jesus would just stay there.

            Maybe you’ve seen those commercials for the Yellow Pages. In that cupboard or drawer where you’d expect to find that big yellow paperback book of telephone numbers, there sits a man. He waits patiently, standing by for your questions: Is there a bakery near the corner of Elm and First? Where’s the nearest auto supply store with parts for my Mitsubishi? What time does that big church on the corner have their worship services? In each case, this man promptly and politely gives the answer that we’d expect to find in the Yellow Pages. And he doesn’t even mind when the cabinet door closes on him. You just know he’ll be there the next time, ready to answer to your every need.

            We try to make Jesus like that sometimes. We want to come and talk to him when we feel the need to reconnect. He’s our go-to guy when we are in trouble or need reassurance or want a dose of “Sunday” in the middle of the week. If he really could be waiting there, in that cupboard, maybe Jesus would quote scripture for us or remind us how much God loves us. Fortified with that, we could turn back to our own pursuits with energy, trusting that he’d be right there for us the next time.

Here for a purpose

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