Have You Let The Stranger In?

The Stranger

A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family.The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on. As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors:Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey.But the stranger... he was our storyteller.He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures,mysteries and comedies.

If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future!

 He took my family to the first major league ball game.He made me laugh, and he made me cry.

The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind. Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet.(I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)

Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home - not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our long time visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and it made my dad squirm and my mother blush. My Dad didn't permit the use of alcohol but the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much to freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.

 I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked ...And NEVER asked to leave.

More than sixty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures.

His name?....We just call him 'TV. (Note: This should be required reading for every household!)He has a wife now....we call her 'Computer.' 

      Their first child is "Cell Phone."Second child "IPod.” And MOST RECENTLY BORN WAS a Grandchild: “IPAD.” Anonymous

OH MY----HOW TRUE THIS IS!!!

The scary part is how fertile they are and the gestation period for the next
intrusions are getting shorter and shorter!!!I

Who will you ask into your home?

I desire to have a Christ-centered home; a home where the Savior would be welcomed in. " Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." Revelations 3:20

Who will you ask into your home?

I desire to have a Christ-centered home; a home where the Savior would be welcomed in. " Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." Revelations 3:20

"Choose you this day whom we will serve......as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15