Confession and Warning

I had an interesting, and maybe even shocking development this past week, at least to me.

Totally unexpected.

After the Music On The Lawn “concert” on Sunday, I knew I had to take back the microphone, cord, and stand that I had borrowed from WEEC. I meant to do it on Monday, then Tuesday, but didn’t actually get around to it until Wednesday.

Shortly after breakfast seemed a good time to do it. I needed to go to the Church I’ve been attending also, to pay for an upcoming Seniors tour, with a group called “Golden Gaters”.

I guess I left my apartment at about 8:45 AM, since, after breakfast, I wanted to be sure it was suitable for the weekly “housekeeping” crew. Of course, I didn’t have to clean up, but I DID need to put a few things out of the way for the Cleaners.

When I was about 10 minutes from WEEC, I realized that I would probably arrive there while they were having their daily devotions at 9 AM. I thought I probably should have maybe gone to the Church first, so I wouldn’t interrupt the devotions.

But I didn’t.

I continued to WEEC, arriving shortly after they had started their Devotions.

Carrying the microphone and stand, I nodded to the staff in the Conference Room, while I walked down to Tracy’s office to return it.

I then came back near that room, and I was invited to join them in the rest of their devotions. They had just been mentioning some Prayer Requests they had, and distributing sheets with the requests on them to various ones there.

When I walked in, I was gladly greeted by all, and I listened to the remaining discussion about the requests.

All of them seemed interested in my presence, and Ruth Book - now Staff Announcer, but the Administrative Assistant when I was still there - asked me about some of the residents she knew at the Grand Court, and then asked me something about “devotions”, which I later discovered I had TOTALLY mis-understood.

I answered rather “nebulously”, I think.

We went to prayer then, and starting with me, each one of us prayed for the various requests before us - including for one of the programs aired on WEEC; one of the Staff Members; one of the Board Members; and one or more of the requests that had been called in.

During this time of prayer, I found myself “mulling over” what I thought Ruth had asked me, and felt obligated to explain more fully my present devotional practices.

I waited, of course, until the prayer time was over, then I asked them if it would be OK if I kept them a little longer, because I wanted to make a confession, along with a warning. All said OK.

I then explained that I needed to add to my answer to Ruth earlier, since I felt constrained to make a confession.

I indicated that for more that 45 years in the past, I had been reading or quoting a portion of the Bible every single day - without exception. But now, I found myself a little lax in that area - not really knowing why that was. Some place along the line, I had missed some days occasionally, and it distressed me. I wasn’t as faithful to that course as in the past.

In addition, I told them that my experience might be a warning to them, that in their coming advanced years (in which I certainly am now), they might find themselves in a similar predicament, and that they should not be “complacent” - as I apparently was - in this vital area of Bible reading and prayer.

Not that I don’t pray - or don’t read the Bible - but I have not been as faithful in these areas as I once was, to my shame!

The confession appeared to be received with understanding, and needed no comment from any of them.

I finally said, “Boy! I didn’t know I was going to say all of that!”

(Ruth indicated that this wasn’t her question at all! I had mis-understood! Too late now!)

But GOD knew, didn’t He?

Afterward, I felt no sorrow that I had made the confession and warning, and cheerfully left them for the Church.

Though not sorrowful even the next day that I had done so, it did “shake me up” a little. And caused some contemplation on my part.

I Cor. 10:12-13: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation (or testing) taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted (or tested) above that ye are able: but will WITH the temptation (or testing) also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (emphasis added.)

“ lest he fall”?

I don’t know that I FELL, but my soul is missing the spiritual food I could have received if I had continued the DAILY reading.

Lord have Mercy!