The other day we had an interesting experience here at the hospital. As many of you know the hospital was started by a Muslim organization. It's current leader (of the whole organization) came for a "surprise" visit of the hospital. Not only is he the leader of the worldwide organization (with hospitals, schools, universities, hotels, and businesses as part of its portfolio) he is the spiritual leader of this group of Muslims.
Well, the buzz around the place was pretty profound. As this leader is a VIP, he received a State motorcade to the hospital. There were secret service types all over the place. And the hallways were cleared out. And the Muslims were very giddy, asking, "is he here yet??"
I couldn't quite understand there anticipation until one of them shared this. "He is our spiritual leader. Catching a glimpse of him is important. It is even better if he makes eye contact with you. Even better if he smiles at you. It is a real blessing."
And even though I thought it was kind of sad to earn for just a glimpse of him, I realized that I have done the same thing for my baseball heros. I have stood outside stadiums waiting for a chance to get an autograph or a photograph. All that anticipation for just a few seconds of interaction.
And then I began to examine whether I had the same enthusiasm and anticipation for the return of my spiritual leader. Am I ready for Jesus to return. Do I look around and say "is He here yet??" And if I don't, why not. What does it say about me if I am willing to stand around waiting to catch a close up glimpse of Albert Pujols, but show very little anticipation for seeing Jesus??
I have learned something this week from my Muslim friends......
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