@RhondaRhea

For many years, my three sons shared a bathroom. Three. Sons.

They shared that bathroom through their teen years. Getting a visual here? Three teen guys in one bathroom. I never really watched the entire Psycho movie but I heard there was a bad shower scene. If the makers of that movie are still around, I think it would be interesting to gather them together and tell them scary stories about my boys’ shower. Because I think I could make them cry like little girls.

I had a sort of “hands-off” policy when it came to cleaning their bathroom. One reason was that I wanted to train them to clean it themselves so their future wives wouldn’t hate me. But the other reason was that, yes, I feared that bathroom greatly. Sopping towels and smoldering socks fermenting in the floor. A couple of times, I confess, I did have to decide whether to pick it all up for them or start some sort of compost. The boys argued that since the whole bathroom was constantly doused with residual cologne and assorted good-smelling hair chemicals, the odors should all cancel each other out. Granted, there was some weird science going on in there, but I guarantee you, nothing was cancelled out.

Anytime we were expecting company and I knew visitors might see that bathroom, however, I took on a whole new tack. I gathered up my courage. And I went in. It made me exceptionally nervous to go in without a hazmat suit or without making sure all my immunizations were up to date, but I went in. Because bigger than the fear of facing the bathroom was the fear of someone else seeing it. Or the fear of having to have said visitors sign some sort of release form before they could use it.

On a much grander scale, God’s Word tells me that Jesus is coming. And even though He’s told us He’s coming, there will still be some caught red-faced. “So now, little children, remain in Him, so that when He appears we may have boldness and not be ashamed before Him at His coming,” (1 John 2:28, HCSB).

So how do we avoid getting caught in the most embarrassing moment of unpreparedness of all time? According to this verse, we “remain in Him.” To remain is to stay. To continue. To abide. One paraphrase says to “live deeply in Christ.” O Lord, may I stay, continue, abide in You at the very deepest part of who I am.

As we “remain in Him,” we consistently clean out any composting places in our spirits. Being unashamed at His coming follows living well, living deeply, living clean. Not ignoring sin or trying to hide it with cologne. It’s about getting rid of everything that doesn’t characterize deep living so that we can love Jesus freely and serve Him well. Living expectantly—it’s knowing He could drop in at any moment and letting that fact bring a glorious excitement to every aspect of life. Excitement. Not fear.

Because when I hear that trumpet, I hope to be able to unashamedly reach up with ready arms. Not hold up one finger, then dig through my purse to find a release form.

Rhonda Rhea is a TV personality for Christian Television Network and a humor columnist for great magazines such as HomeLife, Leading Hearts, The Pathway and many more. She is the author of 12 books, including Fix-Her-Upper, co-authored with Beth Duewel, and a hilarious novel, Turtles in the Road, co-authored with her daughter, Kaley Rhea. Rhonda and Kaley are also excited to be teaming up with Bridges TV host, Monica Schmelter, for a new book and TV series titled, Messy to Meaningful—Lessons from the Junk Drawer. Rhonda enjoys speaking at conferences and events from coast to coast and serves as a consultant on the publishing team of Bold Vision Books.

She lives near St. Louis with her pastor/hubs and has five grown children.