By Jan Davis
Special to The PREVIEW
Let me tell you my dream about “The Old Man in the Overstuffed Chair.”
The Old Man sat in a massive chair and kept his eyes on the little boy. The child made his way forward to stand in front of the great big chair. He looked up with earnest anticipation at the Old Man. “Can I come sit on your lap?”
The Old Man stretched out his strong arms and lifted the young lad up to sit next to him. The child settled in as the large arms held him close.
He called out to his dad, “Come join me, Daddy. I saved you a place.”
With sadness in his eyes, the father said, “I can’t right now. The workload in my office is crazy and things aren’t about to change anytime soon. People depend on me.”
The little boy smiled and yelled, “OK, but try to hurry. Love you, Daddy.”
Dad waved back and said, “Love you, too, and I promise to join you when things slow down.” The dad turned and walked away, but not without one final look over his shoulder.
The Old Man smiled and nodded.
Years later, an aged man stood off to one side and leaned on his cane. In the shadows, he witnessed the scene unfold between the boy, now a father himself, and the Old Man in the chair.
Several years passed since the little boy first climbed onto the Old Man’s lap. Their relationship grew deeper with each life experience. From the comfort of his cozy chair, the Old Man made himself available to encourage and console. With his arms still wrapped around the young man, he smiled and shared a secret with his life-long friend.
The elderly gentleman moved from the darkness into the light. He hesitated for a brief moment before he lowered his head and hobbled toward the over-sized chair. He drew close and looked into the Old Man’s eyes. “OK if I join you today?”
“Of course, come on up. I reserved a place for you years ago.” With the help of the Old Man, the elderly gentleman lifted himself into the chair.
The young man grinned and said, “Hi, Dad, I prayed you would join me some day.”
As the Old Man looked out into the distance, someone else made his way to the overstuffed chair.
The dream holds many facets of interpretation. I want to share one. A child accepts Jesus at a young age and climbs up into the overstuffed chair and God becomes his Heavenly Father.
The young father becomes consumed with career and other distractions. Priorities are out of order and good intentions placed on the back burner. God must wait till things slow down.
Too late, he wakes up to a marriage in shambles and kids who no longer seek his advice. He turns to Jesus for help and God invites him to sit in the comfy chair. Jesus becomes Lord of his life.
Advanced in years, a man looks back over his past and understands nothing lasts forever. He finds himself alone. No longer relevant in his chosen career, replaced by a younger and brighter generation, he slips into obscurity. His family now grown rarely calls or visits.
With regret, he wonders if broken relationships can be restored. He realizes his need for a Savior and accepts Jesus. With outstretched arms, God bids him to come sit in the overstuffed chair.
Because of Jesus, it is never too late to accept His invitation.
Someday, the chair will be exchanged for a throne as the world recognizes Him as King of Kings.
“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most-High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David… And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write, for these words are true and faithful.” — Luke 1:32( ESV), Revelation 21:5 (KJV).
I love you, but Jesus loves you more.
The writer’s name for last week’s “Matter of Faith” column was unintentionally left off. Gregg Heid was the author. The SUN regrets this error.
