Yoder: The Master Collector
By Kathy Yoder
He’s a master collector. Others might collect a few, but then they stop. The ones they have are important to them, but they don’t care to add to the collection. But the Master Collector collects his crowns with the determination and drive of a hard core addict. His crowns are his “fix.” They not only temporarily fix what’s wrong with him; they bring him admiration and adulation.
“Wow! He’s so good at everything he does!”
“And he’s so thoughtful, kind and giving, too!”
“He’s the most humble guy I know.”
What they don’t know is that the Master Collector can’t stop collecting. His fix only lasts for a little while, and then he has to collect more.
He wears the crown of humility. This one’s his oldest and surprisingly, the gaudiest. He wears it expertly and proudly, without letting his enormous pride show through.
He wears the crown of nice guy very well, too. He bends over backwards to help others, but while he’s bending over he’s also looking around to make sure that others see him. At the same time he never lets others see him seeing. Then he might have to give up the humility crown. Even though he has so many, to lose one would be devastating.
He wears the crown of Bible study goer. The crown of piety. The crown of good citizen. The crown of perfect husband. The crown of ideal employee. The crown of willing volunteer. The crown of never making waves. The crown of straddling the fence so he offends no one. He’s good at saying a lot without saying anything at all.
Just when he thinks he might finally have enough crowns, he tells himself that he needs just one more.
But “one more” is never enough. Just like the alcoholic who says, “One more drink.” Or the addict who says, “One more hit.” Or the gambler who says, “One more hand.” Or the adulterer who says, “One more time.” All the one more times string together into a lifetime.
But change is coming for the Master Collector. His head that he’s always held so high starts to ache. Just a little at first. But then it starts pounding and aching without mercy until one day, he falls down and he can’t get back up.
“Help,” he says like a drowning man. “Someone help me. Please.”
But none of the people who admire his crowns are around. They can only see him when he’s standing tall. When he’s being admired, loved and being, well, a show-off and a phony. None of them think to look down to see him. No one can imagine the Master Collector needing help or needing to be collected.
Fortunately, there is one who spends a lot of time at the bottom. Some of his best friends live here. He sees the Master Collector. He knows the man with many crowns. And he loves him.
When the crown wearer looks up, he looks directly into the kind, beautiful, honest, merciful, forgiving, loving face of Jesus.
The Master Collector can bear it no longer. He takes off his crowns. They’re tarnished. Hideous. So ugly before the Lord. The Son of God. The Redeemer. The one who wears a simple crown of thorns. The true Master.
One at a time, the man lays each crown at Jesus’ feet. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he cries. The crowns disappear as the man’s face is pressed against the floor. He washes Jesus’ feet with his tears. Jesus takes his hands, lifts him off the ground and says, “Now the journey begins.”
The man knows exactly what his Lord is saying. This is his first step on his first day of eternity. Eternity doesn’t begin at death. It begins the moment we place out weak hand in the mighty hand of Jesus. When we let go of selfishness. When we stop living for the approval of others. When, like the former collector, we let our vise grip hold of the world go and we see our crowns for what they really are…garbage. When we give up what we think we want and we ask Jesus to lead us. When we say, “Make me part of your family. Make me part of your collection of loved ones, Lord.”
Kathy Yoder is a devotional writer and Christian author. She may be reached at kathyyoder4@gmail.com and Kathyyoder.com.
