Saturday, November 18, 2006

Wrong Men's Room !

I have an ongoing spiritual debate with one of my oldest friends. She thinks I blindly accept the bible as inerrant truth and I think she's open to just about any 'enlightened' perspective that doesn't reference a scriptural passage. After a recent encounter of with her, I recalled a separate but distinctly non-spiritual confrontation that leaves me with hope for my friend. Here's what happened:
I'm a marketing consultant and I worked in the world headquarters of a Fortune 50 consumer products giant. There were rest rooms on opposite ends of the mezzanine floor in the plush HQ building. For some reason, the men's and women's rest room entrances were mirror images on opposite ends of the hallway. Men's on the right side at one end, but on the left side at the other end. Can you guess what happened?
On a particular morning when I urgently needed the facilities, I checked the door sign - Men's - and pressed ahead through two sets of doors to the well appointed rest room. Sinks and mirrors on the left, separated by a wall and....well...men's-only facilities on the right. However, as you first stepped into the rest room and encountered the sink area, you couldn't see the rest of the facilities unless you peered around the separating wall.
Despite my hurry, I had to stop dead in my tracks.
There, leaning over the sink and peering into a mirror was an attractive young executive, applying her makeup. I had very little time to deliberate. Was I absolutely sure I'd read the sign correctly? I was. In fact, I'd almost mistakenly taken the wrong turn before, so I more purposely checked the doors now. I was in the right place.
"Er, excuse me, but I think you might be in the wrong facility?" I managed.
"Well," she said tersely, "one of us is." And kept on applying her makeup--unhesitantly assuming the mistaken party to be me.
It was true. One of us had to be wrong. There was no subjective reality here.
But with no additional time to argue, I proceeded to the other side of the wall.
A few seconds later, I heard the dainty click-tap of high heels step over to the wall, and then a shocked, "Oh!" followed by a rapid retreat of click-tap, click-taps rushing out the two doors.
I know that's a long way around the bend from spiritual matters--but there is a close parallel. When I share the Gospel with my friend, it's after having done lots of Bible study and prayer, based on a relationship with God through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. I already checked the sign on the door. It says, Truth.
What do you believe?

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