“Truly, I Tell You”

Have you ever had someone give you instruction or advice but you didn’t really understand it until later? While packing to leave for college in San Francisco my daughter Melissa had this experience in our long and heated discussion about an umbrella. She insisted she didn’t need to pack her umbrella and would never use it. I insisted she would. She did not pack the umbrella. Happy she’d won this battle she went off to college. As she drove away to her college dorm with her dad my husband asked me how I was holding up knowing she’d left the umbrella. He, of course, had been witness to the hours of tears and gnashing of teeth as she and I battled the night before about that stupid umbrella. I smiled and told him I had done what any good parent would do; I hid the umbrella in her bags. A couple of months later, it happened. Melissa called. “Hi Mom. Just called to say hi and tell you it’s raining today in San Francisco” she stated reluctantly. “Reeeeeally?” I asked, trying not to giggle. “Yes, and do you know what? I’m dry thanks to my umbrella.” She said confidently. “I’m glad you hid it in my bags. I really did need it today. I’m sorry I gave you such a hard time.” Ah, the fruit of a mother’s worry and tears, toiling over the words spoken to those deaf ears now birthed into life - at just the right time. Yes, a mother’s joy. But also a Savior’s joy? The disciples were there when the “Truly” words were actually spoken by Jesus. Have you thought if you were there when Jesus spoke it would be easier to listen and follow His words? Maybe not, Luke 9:43-45 records for us that the disciples didn’t understand what they had heard at the time and, in fact, God hid the meanings from them until the right time for the words could be used and make sense.