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Ten Friends
We were at my house that night. Another one of our sleepovers had been planned weeks in advance. The food was piled on the table, mostly unopened and untouched. The music played in the background – a new group singing "Holy is the Lamb". We were ten – but people who knew us well knew we were really two groups of five. We didn’t get into the things that made the distinction very often. But, we all knew what they were. That night we sat and talked – as usual! This time though, the mood was pretty serious. One of those rare discussions began. Someone asked, "Do you know Jesus?". It wasn’t directed at anyone – just a question to the whole group. She emphasized the word ‘know’, and again she said "do you really know Jesus?". Everyone answered "Yes!, of course!". We all had ‘met’ Jesus. This was an experience we did not share. It was individual. We had all come to know Him at different times and in different ways. But I do believe we had each accepted Him as our Savior. There is no doubt about Who He is – and what He did for us. The day I accepted Him into my heart my life changed. And I know the others felt the same way. The topic that night turned to what made us different – what separated us in our beliefs. One of the others started to tell the parable of the Ten Virgins. She explained how all ten were waiting for the Bridegroom, pointing out that ALL of them knew He was coming and were expecting Him. What was the difference in the two groups? Five of the young virgins had prepared for His coming. Their lamps were full of oil in anticipation of His appearing. The other five, although knowing the time was near for His arrival had not been attentive to the condition of their lamps. Though polished and shiny on the outside their lamps had grown cold, the light that once burned brightly had gone out. They had, somewhere in their busy lives stopped attending to the filling of the lamps. The lamps still ‘looked’ beautiful, but there was no flame. No light was seen from those lamps - they had become empty vessels. Then, suddenly, in the dark of night, without warning the sound came. The announcement was made, "The Bridegroom comes." Scurrying, running, fixing, combing! Well, you can imagine ten young women's excitement at this point! Five picked up their lamps – trimmed the wicks and turned up the flame. Five brightly burning lights to guide the Bridegroom to the exact spot were they waited. The other five groped in the darkness, looking for their beautiful, but empty lamps. Gathering together they asked one another for oil to borrow. Between the five there was none. Taking their lamps in hand they ran to the other five women. "Please," they begged, "give us some of your oil." But it was not possible. "We can not" said the five with burning lamps. "If we were to give you a part of our oil how do we know that what is divided between us would last until He comes? All of our lamps might go out and He would see none of us. Go, and prepare your own lamps yourselves." The five ran off with their beautiful empty lamps in search of oil in the darkness. While they were running from place to place and begging for help, the Bridegroom came. He found the five with brightly burning lamps, taking them home with Him. The five with empty lamps returned, exhausted from their searching. Still carrying empty lamps, they now stood in the room where they had all been sleeping earlier and saw that other five were gone. It was too late. They had not been ready when He came. Their beloved Bridegroom could not see them – they had no flame to guide Him in His search for them. This was the last discussion the ten of us had together. We are only five now. During that last night together we were separated. We heard the sound, we knew – we knew He was coming. But - P.J.Pettit - 9/99
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