Our absent Lord has given...
Illustration
Our absent Lord has given special commendation to those who not only wait for his return, but also earnestly watch for him. The difference between those terms is illustrated by the story of a fishing vessel returning home after many days at sea.
As they neared the shore, the sailors gazed eagerly toward the dock where a group of their loved ones had gathered. The skipper looked through his binoculars and identified some of them: "I see Bill's Mary, and there is Tom's Margaret and David's Anne."
One man became concerned because his wife was not there. Later, he left the boat with a heavy heart and hurried up the hill to his cottage. As she opened the door, she ran to meet him saying, "I have been waiting for you!"
He replied with a gentle rebuke, "Yes, but the other men's wives were watching for them!"
--Cavanaugh
As they neared the shore, the sailors gazed eagerly toward the dock where a group of their loved ones had gathered. The skipper looked through his binoculars and identified some of them: "I see Bill's Mary, and there is Tom's Margaret and David's Anne."
One man became concerned because his wife was not there. Later, he left the boat with a heavy heart and hurried up the hill to his cottage. As she opened the door, she ran to meet him saying, "I have been waiting for you!"
He replied with a gentle rebuke, "Yes, but the other men's wives were watching for them!"
--Cavanaugh
