The ‘early bird catches the worm’ is an old saying that doesn’t apply to me. I’m not the one who rises before dawn in fact, I’m always the last for breakfast. The stragglers here will know, that the later the arrival the less the porridge. The other morning, as I came into the dining room, Arina, one of our helpers said: ‘Loreto you’re always late…’ I was gearing myself up for a bit of negativity, ‘if you got up earlier etc…’ but Arina said, ‘it’s not fair that the porridge is all gone, from now on I will put some aside for you every morning.’

I thought about the parable in Matthew 20, 1:16 about the workers in the vineyard. In the Gospel story, Matthew tells us how the Employer hired some labourers early in the morning. Later in the day he hired others. Then, at the last hour he hired more. At the end of the day, they were all paid the very same amount, the last as much as the first.

This was like myself getting the porridge on my late arrival, being well satisfied.

Seeing this from God’s point of view is a stretch, but in my Father’s house there are many rooms (John 14: 2). Because of the abundance and great love of the Father for us, I believe I’ll get a room and I don’t expect that anyone will complain if I arrive at the last minute.

Loreto/Evelyn McLoughlin
Western Province