The Trouble With W.
All my life I have been told to go to the back of the line. Anytime I go to register
anywhere that there is a queue of people, it is always, "The back of the line sir."
On graduation from high school I had to go to the back of the line.
Seminary graduation, I had to go to the back of the line.
College graduation, with all of the people applauding, by the time they got to the W’s
their tired hands could applaud no more. Even as a cadet in the Police Academy as a
young lad, the chow line was in alphabetical order. This is not because I had a D
average, but you see, my last name begins with W, and so it is.
It bothers me when I go to a conference or some other place where waiting is
necessary. Someone rushes and says, "Let us do this in alphabetical order." Most of
the time the people who make this grand gesture have names like Ashley, Armstrong
and Adams.
Like my new found friend, Rev. Allen, who did just that a few weeks ago while we
were in a government office. With 200 people in line I pitied the fellow from Chicago,
Mr. Zimmerman, but he made his point. "Let us do the other way around and see how
Mr. Allen likes it.
In our society, order comes from the alphabet. Social Security checks are done in
alphabetical order, Medicare payments are done in alphabetical order, most
everything in organizational business is done in alphabetical order, so I am stuck for
the rest of this journey at the back of the line.
There is an argument that there is benefit with a last name that begins with W.
Someone suggested that when judgment day arrives that W’s who have squandered
their lives will have more time to think because it would take centuries before Peter
gets the W’s .
There is more good news for us W’s. We are associated with words like wonderful,
wise, and winning. Even the Internet has given the honor to the W’s. Every one who
goes on the Internet has to use them, WWW. Sometimes W’s are not so good,
‘wrongfully’, but we call still go the facts with the W’s, who, what, when why, where.
We who strive in the ministry can look with favor on the W’s. In our work we know to
hold on to God's grace we must follow what we call the 3 W’s of Christian living:
Seeking Gods WILL
Obeying his WORD
and doing his WORK.
Some time ago, I thought maybe if I spelled my name backward, I would move up in
the alphabet, WARD, spelled backwards is DRAW. But then I remember as a spirited
young lad on sunny Saturday morning when dad had to go to the whip for my
misdeeds. Said he, "I have 2 things to do today, play golf or flog you." Golf backwards
is flog, how I wish that day he played golf.
For us Ward’s however there is a measure of smile for us. Every book is written, it is
written for us. How, you may ask? Next time you pick up a book, look at the first page.
It says FORe- WARD. (Oops, that should be FOReWORD, but it does not matter we
claim it) .
So my friends in the W column, do not despair. Sometimes its WORTH the WAIT to be
at the back of the line. There is still more good news, Jesus loves us all and it does
not matter if our names begins with A or Z. He does not use the alphabet, he loves us
all equally, and he just calls us WINNERS.