Michael
and His Boss
Michael paced and
fidgeted, waiting, as usual, to get his chance to give advice to the boss. And
the boss needed advice, because the whole world was going to hell. In fact, a
big part of the world was in hell already.
Why couldn’t he see that?
The big old wooden
door opened, and Michael put on his game face. Not too aggressive…the boss
didn’t like that. Not too…whatever! Michael shrugged his shoulders, admitting
to himself, if no one else, that he had not gotten it right yet. Not the right
combination of words and tone and emotion to move the guy to act like Michael
knew he should. Knew he HAD to.
“Michael! How are
you?” he said, coming forward to give Michael that hug that Michael always had
to brace himself for. Not because he didn’t like the hug, but because it always
drew him off- sides. Made him lose his focus and intent.
“Fine, fine. And you?” Michael drew back from the hug, looking into his boss’ eyes to see what mood he might be in today. Bummer. He looked happy. The guy was delusional.
“I am good. And
glad to hear you are well. What can I do for you, Michael?”
As if he didn’t
know. As if Michael had not been pleading for the same thing now for way too
long. Michael shook his head, just a
tiny shake. Took a deep breath. Took a chance on contact and put his hand on
his boss’ forearm for emphasis.
“They are at it
again. Only this time, I think is worse than ever. I can’t do anything with them,
they surely won’t listen to me. You’re going to have to do something. They will
listen to you if you go down there.” Michael went for the combo effect…sincere,
urgent but not pushy.
“I know. You know,
it breaks my heart. I have tried everything I can think of. Except…”
Michael
interrupted, “You haven’t tried everything. You haven’t just gone down there
and talked to them yourself. Unless you count that whole burning bush thing.
Which, wasn’t quite the same thing as just showing up, you have to admit.”
His boss smiled,
the memory settling on him. He chuckled. “Well, maybe not the exact right
thing, but it seemed like a good idea back then. But anyway, this morn…”
Michael burst in
again, “You keep sending people to tell them. It isn’t working! They either
kill them or ignore them, or both! You have to do it yourself” Michael was
warming to his subject. His pupils were dilated with ferver, and the hand on
his boss’ arm was squeezing in passionate appeal.
His boss looked
down at the gripping fingers and looked back into Michaels’ eyes. Michael let
go with sudden frustration, stepping back and shaking his head. This was going
to end like every other meeting. Nothing. Big fat nothing. He started to turn
away.
“Michael, listen
for a minute,” it wasn’t a request, “I am trying to tell you something. I have
an idea, and I think you will like it. I think it might work.”
Michael stopped
breathing. Progress. Something new. Something besides the same old sending of
some poor guy who ends up dead, despised by the very people he trying to reach.
“What…what…”
Michael leaned a little toward his boss, a little afraid to get up too much
hope.
“I’ve decided to
go down there myself. “
Michael jumped up,
pumping his fist and doing a little jig. “I knew it! I knew you would fix it!
You love them too much to let them keep on killing each other! I knew you would
fix it!”
His boss was
grinning now, watching Michael’s joyful reaction. He waited a minute for
Michael to do a little shadow boxing of the enemy.
“Take that, evil!
Take that, death! Take that you sorry excuse for human misery maker!” Michael
kept it up for a minute, then curiosity sunk in.
“Where will you
appear first? That could be a huge decision, you know. You have to get the
powerful behind you first. Wait…what am thinking…you would have to if you were
a human, but since you are God, once you go down there as yourself, the whole
entire human race will fall on their knees before you!”
His boss nodded,
pausing, “That’s just the thing, Michael. That is the very reason I can’t do it
the way you are thinking. We’ve been over this a hundred times.”
Michael’s face
fell. What was the catch? He turned and started pacing, reciting in a terse
voice,
“You made them to
be free. You can’t manipulate them. They have to live free from strings and
obligation to you or they can’t be truly themselves. Yadda yadda yadda…”
His boss ignored
this last disrespectful tirade.
“That is right,
Michael. That never changes. If I love them, I am bound by all the laws of
every moral code ever imagined to give them their freedom.”
“Well, what moral
code do they live by, for crying out loud? How can you make it worse by
stopping them from making such a dung heap of themselves and all of earth?”
Michael was so deeply disappointed he forgot that there was still a plan that
had not been tried before.
His boss sat down,
motioning to the other easy chair beside him. “Michael. Sit. I am sorry it
can’t be done your way. But I do have an idea. And I think it just might work.
Sit here. I feel how much you love them. How much you grieve for them. You have
to believe me when I tell you I feel those things as keenly as you.”
Michael sat, his
arms on his knees, his head hanging. He let out a sigh, and raised his eyes to
the face of this boss who he did love so much.
“I’m going down
there. But they will think I’m a real human. I’ll live like they do, and the
hope is that I’ll get the chance to teach them how to love each other. And
themselves.”
“So…where will you
appear first?”
“Well, if I’m
going to do it right, I’m going to do the whole thing. I’ll be born, like
them.”
“You have got to
be kidding me? You, a baby? You will be so at their mercy, you’ll never make it
to be old enough to teach them anything!” Michael let out another sigh. He
loved his boss, but this was a bad idea.
“No, I think it
will work. I have the mother picked out. She’s good. And the father is a good
man. I’ll do the whole thing. I’ll be born, I’ll grow up, I’ll love my family.
I’ll gather some followers and spread the news that love is for everyone. That
no one is alone. That no life, and no death is beyond me.”
“So, you picked a
queen? Who is it?”
“Well, not a
queen. I picked a Jewish girl. Her name is Mary. You know, the Jews have messed
up a lot, but they keep trying, and that’s where I want to go. Remember David?
He has a descendent named Joseph who is engaged to Mary. It’s the perfect
family.”
“Now I know you
are kidding me! They are dirt poor! You will be lucky to get enough to eat,
much less gain any influence at all with society!”
“That’s kind of my
point, Michael. I want to do it the hardest way, so that there aren’t any
people anywhere, ever, for the rest of time who think they aren’t good enough
to live in love.”
Michael slowly
shook his head. “I don’t think you know what you’re in for. I’ve been down
there. It isn’t what you think. There is not much hope, and there isn’t much
love either. And for sure, they have forgotten their promises to you.”
His boss nodded
just as slowly, “ I do know, Michael. But I have not forgotten mine to them.”
The look on his
boss’ face left no room for argument. In fact, the extreme fondness he felt for
his creation shone on his face like a light. Michael felt a little bubble of
hope under his breast bone for the first time in a very long time. This was
crazy, but maybe crazy was just the right thing for this mess that was the
human condition.
“Ok. So, let’s say
you are going to go down there and show them how to love each other. Then
what?”
“Well, I guess
we’ll have to see what they do with it. And with me.” He put his hand on
Michael’s arm. “And I’m going to need your help. I know I said it the human
way, but we’ll add just a touch of your ideas. See, we gotta get Mary on board,
give the word to Joseph that he doesn’t need to worry, maybe tell some
shepherds, and…let’s put a big star in the sky ahead of time to kind of point
the way.”
“So, a star over
Jerusalem?”
“Well, no. I’m
going to be born in Bethlehem. Because that’s where David came from, and I’m
going to do my darndest to fulfill some of the Hebrew prophecy. To give them
hope. And to help them know who I am.”
Michael chuckled.
“You have this all figured out. OK, we’ll try it your way. And pray. A lot!”
His boss grinned
from ear to ear. “I knew I could count on you. Now, let’s get this thing
rolling!”
.
