Vision: The Public Room

21^st January 2014

Vision: The Public Room

Empty oil drums lined this vast Public Room. Each contained a flag on a long stick.

This room had a constant flow of people who brought their own, old, beaten, some rusty oil drums and flags. Some had even designed their own coat-of-arms and painted it on their drums.

There was a high cost to pay for patronizing this room, but the price was revealed only when it was time for a customer to leave.

The Public Room smelled like a butcher shop but was decorated like Times Square, in New York, on a New Year’s Eve.

The customers did not mingle with others. Each had created a press-room like environment, around where they stood. The oil drum and flag was their back drop, and before them were arranged a multitude of microphones, cameras, multi-media.



Any customer, who stood idle in this public room, was either kicked out, or crushed in a stampede by the other consumers, who would make a dash to grab the ‘idlers’ microphones and media.

Streamers and banners boldly proclaimed one common slogan that applied to all… “IT’S ALL ABOUT ME”.

I thought that all gathered there were surely unbelievers, until I saw a vast number of customers there, holding  bibles that had this slogan stamped on the cover, and printed on their clothing, belongings and interests.

The ceiling had the universe painted on it, and the writing on the blinking bright lights announced: “PARTY ON’’.

All the patrons were self-absorbed and looking into the cameras, continuously pointing to themselves and listing their achievements, accomplishments and declaring their plans for future acquisitions.

It was one long ‘Boast-a-Thon’. Day and night, the customers spoke boastful words, extolling their own virtues and triumphs.

I was made to understand that some of the customers there were church leaders. These had had great financial success. These supercilious men and women spoke proud and arrogant words.   Year after year, day after day, minute after minute their finances, achievements and acquisitions had multiplied. They had accumulated followers, admirers, and students whom they taught their ways, through the media available to them.

Suddenly, the lights began to flicker, and the floor shook.

The lights were no more blinking, they became so bright, that the people gathered there were squinting their eyes. As they looked up they saw that the old message had been deleted.

The lights flashed a new message- “THE PARTY IS OVER”.

Those gathered there reeled in unbelief. They had made plans for the year and for many more ahead.

The roof of the building caved in and the burst pipes poured unrelentingly into the Public Room. The trophies, the achievements, the accolades, were washed out onto the street, where passers-by stamped and crushed them under their feet.

The proud and arrogant men and women looked aghast. They were bruised and shocked. They could not understand what hit them. They had invested much time, money, resources in their “It’s all about me” projects, and now, suddenly, all their works came to a standstill.

The flooded room exposed their nakedness.

The owner of the building, a crafty man, rushed to pacify his devastated customers. “We’ll build again, bigger and better than before......come back, you hear……”

Those outside who had repeatedly warned the bible-carrying customers that the message is not: It’s about me”, but, that “IT’S ABOUT HIM-CHRIST JESUS”, watched in silence. They did not gloat. They bowed their heads and prayed.

This was the time, when the projects of the proud, which had prospered for years, would cause the arrogant to become over-confident and invest heavily in ‘bigger and better’ schemes.

The prophets understood that this was the time when the proud would be humbled, suddenly.

James 4:10

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

 

Bombay-India

Swarna Jha