Sunday Charlyne and I met an out-of-town stander and his parents for lunch. We have a web page for the restaurant where we often meet standers. The page gives information and directions, along with a map to help our out-of-town Rejoice people find the restaurant easily. Nevertheless, over the years my wife and I have lost many hours, sitting in that restaurant lobby, waiting for visitors who has been delayed or can't find us.
Last Sunday, sitting around the table I asked the stander's father if they had any trouble finding us. His reply was a first.
"No, because last night we made a dry run."
That family was so concerned with finding the restaurant on time that they had sought it out Saturday night. They were so concerned with everything going right for their standing son that they spent time in advance, locating where we were meeting.
There are many events in life where dry runs are standard. Fire drills at a school are dry runs. Before an airline pilot can fly passengers, he makes many dry runs in a flight simulator. Law enforcement agencies have dry runs for every imaginable scenario. In fact, most businesses and agencies depend on dry runs so they will be as prepared as possible when the unexpected happens.
Wedding rehearsals are dry runs in preparation for the actual ceremony. Can you imagine the fiasco if the wedding party had read all about weddings, but had not been through a dry run of the ceremony before the wedding?
Wouldn't it be wise for standers to make dry runs in preparation for the return of a prodigal? I came home to Charlyne without notice. Our afternoon together started at lunch time at her office and concluded when we walked into our home together as husband and wife once again. There was to time for Charlyne to conceal what she did not want me to see or hear. Thankfully, she had made her dry run and was ready for what everyone was telling her would never happen; my return home.
My half of the closet was even empty and waiting my return-except for the wedding gown my wife never wore that second time. My wife's dry run included that gown, which she did not have time to wear.
Why don't you spend some time over the next few days doing a dry run through what would happen if your prodigal suddenly re-appeared. Ask God to show you any changes in your life and home that you need to make before your beloved appears.
Trust is a two way street in marriage restoration. As a stander, please be ever so careful that nothing will harm the fragile process of restoration that God is only beginning when a prodigal walks back in the door.
Fire trucks are always backed into the station in anticipation of the unexpected. While waiting, those firemen will occupy much of their times with dry runs. May you always back your standing situation into the station of restoration, ready for the unexpected, because prodigals do come home.
