JUST BEHIND THE CURTAIN

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     I have previously written about the following experience in my Returning in Their Place daily journal; which I kept on our trip to Scotland and Ireland eight years ago. (England would have to wait, though I would love to see it).

 

     My wife and I were on a two week guided tour to the lands of our ancestors, (as well as the ancestors of a large percentage of modern day Americans).

 

     I have long since forgotten the name of the Scottish town in which we stopped for the night, or for that matter the hotel. Suffice it to say that we were somewhere in central Scotland.

 

     Our tour group gathered in the hotel restaurant about 6pm for our evening meal. It was a large room, and other guests, perhaps another tour group, filled every available seat. There were well more than a hundred people in the place.

 

     I have also long since forgotten whether the hotel provided us any entertainment. There may have been a pianist. There may have been a singer. (However, if we lacked anyone to entertain us, I would soon make up for the lack).

 

    My wife, daughter, and grandson sat in the other chairs which surrounded me. We were provided menus and I chose a nice filet of salmon, broccoli, and mashed potatoes. (My mouth is watering just thinking about it)! And while we were offered an alcoholic beverage, (white wine was suggested as an accompaniment for my meal), we all declined.

 

     Everything proceeded nominally during the meal, and there was nothing especially memorable about the discussion at our little table. However, (and it was and continues to be a huge “HOWEVER”).

 

Pt. 2

 

     However, as the meal neared its inevitable conclusion, I looked to my left, and noticed a curtain; perhaps five feet in width and seven feet in height. And given my general state of curiosity which has accompanied me the past seventy years, I was determined to discover what lay behind it. (Can we say “Wiley Coyote and Roadrunner”)?

 

     As Jean, Kristy and Noah finished off the last few remnants of whatever they happened to be eating that evening, I stood up, and grabbed one side of the curtain; with the intention of peeking behind the heavy non-descript cloth. But now, all my well-intentioned plans “went south.” Whereas, I thought the curtain might have hidden absolutely nothing but a bare wall, I found myself falling into an abyss! And given my precarious (lack of) footing, I attempted to right myself by jerking downward on the curtain.

 

     And now, the top edge of the curtain gave way, and the fabric hooks began to bend, and tear away from the cloth. And now, I felt my hand touch something hard behind the curtain, and I just managed to regain my balance.

During the course of my unfortunate, but admittedly laughable experience, someone nearby uttered a one syllable word. (Well, not exactly a word). For you see, as I was in the process of falling into the small cavern, my wife emitted a 150 decibel scream!

 

     Having regained my balance, I sheepishly looked around me, and noticed one hundred plus men, women, and children were looking back at me! For one moment in time, the entire room was so utterly quiet you might have heard a pin drop!

 

     And now, (my wife has often referred to me as “The Master of the Unexpected”) I faced the assembled dinner guests… and rendered a slow military salute!

 

     (It occurred to me later that my fellow diners must have thought I had imbibed a couple of liters of that white wine)!

 

     And now, without so much as another word, Jean, Kristy, and Noah rose to their feet. What little food still remained on our plates was immediately forgotten. With faces focused on the floor, (and alluding to my previous military implication), we made a hasty retreat.

 

     It's easy to laugh about it now, but it certainly wasn’t funny at the time.

I never did find out what was behind that curtain!

 

     When I was in the second grade, my teacher asked me to portray the Wizard of Oz in a class play. I have previously written about that fiasco, and I will always remember the lines I spoke that day. (“I am Oz, the great and the terrible. Who are you and why do you seek me”)?

 

     When it “was all said and done,” the little fella behind the curtain had a self-inflated view of his own importance, but meant no harm.

 

     However, the same cannot be said about life. Life offers us many seasons, and, in essence, many curtains. As often as not, however, what lies just behind the curtain is not only unexpected, but, at best, unpleasant.

 

     Jesus promised we would experience tribulation. (John 14:27). You cannot live in this mortal sphere, be you rich or poor, unknown, famous, or infamous without experiencing suffering.

 

     Even now, as I write these words, I am watching a two year old television special which includes the hosts of The Today Show. At this very moment, Savannah Guthrie is speaking about suffering. Little could she have known at the time that just behind that curtain of life, her mother would be taken from her home, and is still missing.

 

     If this was all there was, the abundance of curtains, and that which lies just behind them could be overwhelming. However, this IS NOT all there is. We have a great Savior who has gone to prepare a place for us, and who has promised to receive us unto Himself.

 

     Speaking of curtains, I am reminded of a verse in scripture related to the crucifixion of Christ.

 

     “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” (Matthew 27:51a, NIV)

 

     The symbolism, as well as the literalness of this verse cannot be overstated.

 

     Hebrews 4:15-16 invites us to walk right through that curtain which separates us from the Holy of Holies, and to commune with our Abba Father there.

 

     And that is not the whole ball of wax. On the other side of this curtain of life, as believers, we are guaranteed a grand entrance into our Father’s House. We will, as it were, walk from this momentary room into the eternal one. We shall see Him as He is. We will live with the One who loved us, and gave Himself for us; our Savior, Messiah and King, the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

      …Just behind the curtain.

by Bill McDonald, PhD