Leroy Tried Not to Laugh

“Sir, you’re either lost,” he began his reply.

He’s Leroy Allison. He’s a United Methodist pastor and in about two weeks he begins his retirement. (We’ve been friends for longer than either of us will admit, and in my humble opinion he still has lotsa ministry left in him. But that’s another topic for another time.) It’s with his permission that I share what he told at Annual Conference last week.

Once upon a time, Leroy pastored a church in a town that was fairly isolated geographically. No major highways went through it, and a grand total of about one road went to it.

It was in this town that a man Leroy didn’t recognize came to him, seeking lodging, food and a motel.

“I’m just passing through,” he said.

Stifling a laugh, Leroy told him, “Sir, you’re either lost or you wanna be here. Nobody’s ever ‘just passing through’ here.”

What a powerful statement of our human condition: “you’re either lost or you wanna be here.”

In every aspect of our lives, either we really have no idea where we are and how we got here…or we’re choosing to stay.

If we’re lost, God offers help and hope in Christ in ways we cannot yet imagine.

If we’re choosing to stay in a situation, God always offers us an alternative.

Regardless: “you’re either lost or you wanna be here.”

Let’s want to be where God wants us to be today.

And then let’s really be there.