Yet a friend came unexpectedly to the back door recently halfway through the morning when our house was its normal cluttered self, the rug was more than a little linty, and we were lounging around still un-showered and in our sweats. Our friend didn't care. He was grief-stricken and in shock. He had flown back to Buffalo because his father was dying. Of course we welcomed him in, grieving for him, but also joyous because we hadn't seen him in a few years. Gone were our concerns about clutter, dust, lint, and unwashed selves. Our friend didn't care. He pushed a pile of clutter out of the way so he could sit; he was interested in collapsing, crying, laughing, visiting, being listened to with love.
How often people drop unexpectedly into our lives, or call with unexpected requests. If we are too rushed, too preoccupied with projecting perfection, and refuse the visit, refuse the request, we can lose out on opportunities for joyful, blessed encounters. If we are annoyed at being interrupted and turn away, we may be missing out on doing God's work. Even our "holy" routines can get in the way; in the Gospels, a priest refused to be interrupted from his scheduled work to take care of a wounded Jewish kinsman. A Samaritan merchant, who would be hated by the Jews, stopped to aid the wounded man instead. Yet the saints tell us that even if we are in the middle of praying, if someone needs us, the person takes precedence. In fact - the person BECOMES our prayer.
If we approach life with faith, every person who enters our lives, expected or unexpectedly, bears the face of Christ. Many people come to bring us Christ's love; many bear Christ's wounds in themselves for us to attend to with care. The sick, the grieving, the doubting, the confused, those who are celebrating, all come in hopes of our patient attentive listening. All we need do is focus our hearts with love, forgetting the task or the relaxation that they may have interrupted, or the work or relaxation we were looking forward to accomplishing.
Sometimes the more organized and accomplishment-oriented we are, the harder it is to be spontaneous and open to the unexpected. Yet, Jesus says "Behold, I stand at the door and I knock." (Revelation 3:20) He doesn't say "I'll knock when you're ready." He doesn't say "I'll knock when It's convenient." He simply warns us to be ready for His appearance, because He will come according to His time-frame, not ours. And sometimes Christ can come at the most inconvenient time for us. Because Christ continually tests our readiness, our obedience, and our openness to Him, no matter what time it is, no matter how neat or messy we or our house is, no matter how frantic we are, and no matter how unexpected the person is who comes bearing Christ's face. And if we welcome Him, so often we are offered a feast of joy in recompense!