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Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their
lamps. The foolish said to the prudent, “Give us some of your oil, for our
lamps are going out.”
Matthew
25:7,8
Give us the oil? Yeah right! How often do we see this attitude
in modern life? We live in the Age of Entitlement, an age where people, trained
by Madison Avenue to look out for Numero Uno, are honestly confused when things
don’t go their way. They just expect the world to flow around them, an orderly
and tidy machine which dispenses blessings wherever they go, be it in a
supermarket lineup as they line up with 37 items in the express line or step in
front of you at the customer service counter to complain about their defective
toasters. People are looking at the world from the inside out, observing how it
relates to them and not how they relate to it.
Accomodation… the Christian way?
As a full-fledged, turn-the-other-cheek Christian, I guess I
should accommodate that attitude with a smile, shouldn’t I?
But the prudent answered, “No, there will not be
enough for us and you too. Go instead to the dealers and buy some for
yourselves.”
Matthew
25:9
Not so much
Yeah… not so much. Go buy your own oil! We’re here to love
our neighbours and to settle disputes with them in a civilized manner, but
we’re not here to be trodden on or taken advantage of. If the homeless guy
downtown needs the shirt off my back, he’s going to get himself a shirt. If the
guy in the Jaguar wants to seize my parking space as I’m pulling in, he’s going
get himself a dented Jaguar. We’re to be strong in the name of Jesus Christ,
and we’re to set an example of grace and dignity. Setting Christ’s example
doesn’t mean being whipping-boys (and girls), here to cater to our worldly
brothers and sisters.
Prudence and the Great Beyond
Of course, we need to realize also that we’re no better than
anybody else, not even that guy with the Jaguar. We’re all loved passionately
by God, Christian or otherwise, and it’s vital that we remember that. There’s a
culture of entitlement in our faith as well; we need to be careful to bring our
oil and stop thinking it will be provided. We need to realize that though our
place in eternity may be assured, our function in it is dependent on our
actively nurturing our faith. Our time here, as fleeting as it is, lays the
foundation for our time eternal, and the more prudent we are now, the happier
we’ll be in the Great Beyond.
Father, I know what it means to bring my own oil.
It’s not just about being prepared in my heart, it’s about preparing and
nurturing other hearts through your love and my caring. Let me do this, Lord.
Give me the strength of faith that allows me to reach out and give hope. Even
to guys with Jaguars.
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The Journal 
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