What if today really was the day?

   There's a story told sometimes at church, sometimes in young women's,  about a shoe cobbler who was visited by an angel one night and told that the next day he would be visited by the Lord. So of course the man cleaned his shop, trimmed his hair and positioned a chair in front of the window. Through the course of the day people in need cross his path and he moves from his chair to help each one. At the end of the day, having never seen Christ he kneels by his bed and asked how he had missed the Lord. As those who know the story can tell the Lord then appears and tells him he was there. In each act of the least of these his brethren the shoe maker served the Lord.  This of course is a parable to remind us to serve all who come into our path, but what if an angel, a holy messenger came to you and said Christ will visit you on the morrow, would you believe it? Would you believe Christ could and would visit you the next day? Or would you knowing your faults and shortcomings think you weren't good enough and ask for more time.
   My dear brothers and sisters I think we do this everyday, we see our shortcomings and think I could never see the Lord I am too fallen, too human and too far from his goodness and his grace. We see our limited self and limit the Lord,  we think because we see our short comingstories that the Lord doesn't or he would change his mind.  But He always sees us, he already knows own our limitations, he can heal us, he can 'fix' us, he would see us whole, but first we must believe him. In the Neworld Testament when the father bringsaid his ailing son to Christ, Christ asks if he has faith, the father says yes he does, but then says, Lord help thou mine unbelief. We have faith we will see Christ someday, we have faith he will heal us one day, somewhere in the future. But how wouled your life be different if you had the belief Christ will visit you tomorrow?  Would you trust a little more when life got dark because it is just one more opportunity to show faith in the God who loves you, would you love more because now you see how God extends love and mercy to we wee mortals? Would you trust His word and hold to his promises because you want to be just as ready as you can to see him again? What if today really is the day when you see him again? Would we seek after his presence more often in our lives so when the day comes we recognize him the minute he enters the room because we've been striving to become like him, in whatever way we could...