The Story of the Show Towel
By Donna McMorrow
My brother, Don, has always been the neatest of the three of us siblings. He is unmarried and works as a rocket engineer in Colorado. He is smart and funny. He just naturally organizes and picks up after himself. He is the best guest to have over because he often pitches in and helps out, not only loading a dishwasher, but also washing pots and pans. I was very surprised when I heard that Don had gotten into trouble when he stayed at a friend’s house because he used the wrong towel.
Now there are towels, and then there are TOWELS. It is hard to recognize the difference between them because they are often exactly alike, only the intended use is different. Bachelors have an especially difficult time recognizing the difference.
In my bathrooms, I have towels that my family uses. I also have guest towels, which are used only by guests and are frequently much nicer than those used by family members. But the highest form of towel is the SHOW TOWEL. Show towels are towels that are NEVER ACTUALLY USED. Show towels are meant to coordinate with the bathroom and be on display. Show towels may get washed but only because they are dusty.
At this point, you may have determined how Don got himself in trouble. In the bathroom at his host’s home was a large basket of towels, rolled up and artfully arranged. When he got out of the shower, Don removed a towel from the basket and dried off. Because he was staying another day, he hung the towel on the back of the guest room door to dry so that he could reuse it. In my house, that would earn him an extra bowl of ice cream. That was not what happened. Don had committed the major error of using a show towel. His host’s wife was not too shy to lecture him about show towels and their purpose. Now anywhere he visits, Don always asks which towel he may or may not use.
The story about the towels made me think about the kind of Christianity I have. Is it like a family towel, a guest towel or a show towel? Do I live my relationship with the only high God every day, or do I just blow the dust off when I am in desperate need? Do I treat Jesus as a guest and feel that I have to speak with him like I would speak at a job interview, trying to impress, carefully couching my every word and showing him only the best in me? Or do I talk to Him with my heart, confessing my fears and sins and asking for His guidance in my everyday, ordinary life?
What about Bibles? Do you have show Bibles? Bibles that come to church and then sit in the car until next Sunday? Or Bibles that sit in a prominent place in your home and get moved only to be dusted? There is little sadder than a pristine Bible sitting on a thrift store shelf. Bibles are meant to be personal. They should have notes and prayers written in the margins. They should chronicle our walk with God. Did you know that if you read only three chapters a day, you can read the entire Bible in a year? Most Bibles have a reading guide in the back to help a person do this. There is never a bad time to start.
Family, guest, or show: What kind of relationship do you have with Jesus?
Donna McMorrow and her husband have been married for 41 years. She is a retired special education teacher, adoptive parent, cancer survivor and child of the King. In her free time, she enjoys reading, photography and painting.