Thursday, December 14, 2023
“Cheers to Eleven”
Barely on the outside. #11. I’m not sure why people still think that 13 is an unlucky number. It would seem like 11 is the one that creates more agony.
If you’re the 11th best, you probably don’t get the front-page story. In fact, you may not even make the publication. The general public doesn’t think much about number 11. Instead, our focus is always on the Top-10.
For athletics, music, literature, network programming, and just about anything else, a finish in eleventh place probably means that we won’t make the cut. We will always be on the outside looking in, wondering about the joys and benefits of just one more number.
When I was a child, the days leading to Christmas seemed to move so slowly. Eleven days to Christmas meant that we were still waiting for Christmas Break. Each day grew more difficult and each day our behavior probably became worse. I don’t know how teachers do it… the agony of eleven days from Christmas cannot be easy in a classroom full of children.
If you’re into horse racing, you know that a number eleven post is almost a guarantee that you won’t win. If you’re into the Bible, it means that someone (or something) is missing, and it’s probably not for a good reason. If you’re into numbers, eleven is easy enough to multiply, but it’s not nearly as comforting as the numbers ten or twelve.
One more day, however, will change things. If eleven is unlucky or unpopular, we need to wait just a few more hours. In one more day, reality will begin to sink into the hearts and minds of Scrooges and Grinches everywhere. They will not be able to avoid Christmas any longer.
It’s difficult when we feel like we are standing on the outside looking in. That’s the unfortunate reality of not being included. It can seem that some folks think we are special, but not quite special enough. And yet, this points us to the beauty of God’s love for the world. God doesn’t rank us from best to worst. Instead, God wants us to finish strong. In effect, by giving us eleven, the LORD has shown us that there’s still plenty of hope. God knows that a Top-10 finish is important to us, even though we try to pretend that it’s not.
Today is day eleven. We ain’t there… yet. But tomorrow, we’ll be much closer than before. Tomorrow, the rocket’s engines will begin to ignite, preparing to take us on a round-the-world flight that will bring us closer to the Light than ever before.
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” (Colossians 3:12, NIV)