Royalty Inn

Comfort.
Whatever can usurp this goal needs to be very powerful because to many (and I include myself in that "many), this is the end of all things. To be comfortable. True Comfort includes feelings of security, absence of pain, emotional catharsis..... I recently spent a night in a hotel. I do this often as it is one of the blessings/curses of having a traveling ministry. As I enter the room I tend to always heave this big sigh of relief. I see the pillows stationed on the bed with a little welcome card from the housekeeper. As I use the restroom, I spot the little lotions and shampoos placed daintily on the handtowel that's been folded like a fluffy seashell. I spy the laminated card display of all the hotel ammenities available on the classic wooden desk. And the most prized item of all, the remote control within arm's reach of everything.
My little kingdom.
There is something about a hotel that makes people feel rich when they first get there. Finally, all the desirous things at their disposal.
"I deserve this."
For me, I usually put on my pajamas right away and then pick up the phone book to see if there are any good restaurants in the area that deliver. "CHINA PALACE" Sweet and Sour Chicken (.a common staple) with 2 Diet Cokes! A hot meal, cold soda, pajamas on, remote control in hand.....a happy King.
As a s side note, Jerry Seinfeld once said that guys don't care what's on television, they just want to know what ELSE is on. This is the micro-excercise of "the grass is greener" game that all men play. Women love to nest. Whatever it is, just nest and invest. Find out what it's about before you flip again. Guys have and instinct of what to invest in. On television, there aint a whole lot. (Just recently we got rid of our cable tv. Flipping has now reduced itself to 4 channels. "Hey, didn't I just see that guy pulling pig skulls out of chocolate with his teeth a second ago?"
After a full tummy, a relaxed body, and an hour of being committed to my lack of program investment, something shakes my little kingdom like a black, creeping, fire breathing beast.
Lonliness.
The curse part. I'm become frightened to turn the TV off.
When I do, the silence un-nerves me. I crave the sound of my little ones breathing deeply in the next room, the movement of my wife as she gets up to feed our new baby, the familiar clinking of the radiators as the heat kicks on in my home. The sounds of comfort.
A couple of years ago at the Christian Camp I work at, we had the theme "It's not about me, it's all about Him!" It's not about me. This may sound like the same song I've sung before in ohter posts, but it's a powerful truth. When it's about me, I am alone.
I don't want to be alone.
At this point of the night, this King begins to feel reduced to a scared knave. I usually pull out my Bible, read some and then begin to pray. I pray for my family and friends. And I pray that God would protect me from...me and the deceptions that I easily fall into. I thank Him for all that He has done in my life, for the Grace and Mercy that I don't deserve and for the privilege of being a part of His ministry. I keep thanking Him while I turn out the light and lay my head down and hope for a quick and peacful night.
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It's usually at this point I wish that I had brought my feather pillow from home. :)