11:11

An 11th hour miracle

TL;DR: I’m in Mexico on vacation so I’m sharing an excerpt of emails I sent to the Bookclub of my favorite topic for 2 different years.

2024.

Anyway the 11^th month of the year is here and WHAT A YEAR it has been. Honestly, I don’t even know how the year has gotten here but bruh what a year it has been. 2024 WHAT year.

I particularly love November because it always reminds me of the 11^th hour parable in the bible ( at the point I feel like I tell it every november) but a lil repetition isn’t going to kill anyone so lets go. In Matthew 20 in the bible ( Non-Christians please just google it), a rich man employs workers at different times and agrees to pay them a fixed set of wages, some come at 9am, some at 3pm, some at 6pm and some at literally the 11^th hour when the work was ending at 12. Anyway the workday ends and the man is paying everyone, those that came early start complaining that the 11th hour group only worked one hour and should not be paid the same and the rich man is like- excuse me it’s my money I can do whatever I want and pays them the agreed amount and tell’s them to be going.

I LOVE this parable because for so many of us we feel like the year has ended and we haven’t 1-started working on things we should have or we have worked so little but the parable reminds us that most times all we have to do is show up. One hour of work is still valid work. In the parable the rich man went out and saw those people idle and was like- why are you not working and they were like well- no one hired us.

Sometimes we feel like we will not get opportunities because it’s late, we are old, time has gone etc etc- but the parable reminds us that when we get the asked what we want- we should be bold even if the time is little. Those 11^th hour workers that worked for only one hour after being idle the whole day earned the same as those that had been there since 9am. If that isn’t favor over labor I don’t know what it is.

And my best take away is that- the in 11^th month there is still have a lot of time for things to happen so much that at the end of the year, we can look back and it will be like we worked all year when we are counting our harvest.

Don’t worry about the past 10 months. Focus on making the next 60 days something special for yourself.

I am feeling particularly excited about the last few days this year.

2022.

One of my favorite bible parables is the one in Matt 20:1-16 where the vineyard owner calls workers in at 9am agrees a price with them and hires them to work in his vineyard. He does the same at noon, and at 3 and at 5 and at an hour to closing time. When the day ends, he asks everyone to get paid. Starting with those who were hired last and had done the least work. Off course the early workers complained and the owner of the vineyard asked them “Is it against the law to do what I want with my money? should you be jealous because I am kind to others?”.

What I really really really like about this parable is that sometimes in life, we are workers who have been working all day, and many other times, we are the 11^th hour workers who only work for one hour and receive a full day’s wage.

The biggest lesson for me is how it continues to teach ME, the best way to counter jealously and or comparison, is to always remember the fact that the vineyard owner is always fair and never cheats you. If he chooses to be kind to others, remember that there have been times it was the other way round. No need to get worked up, take your wages with gratitude and be on your way.

That is a great lesson as we enter into the 11^th month of the year. If you are feeling behind and you feel like people have been in the metaphorical field all year, the vineyard owner is happy to pay you in full. Just get to work.

And if you feel like you have been in the field since the beginning of the year, remember that

1) you are getting your full due, and

2) there are many areas of your life in which you’d be an 11^th hour entrant. So don’t be jealous.

Sermon over.

‘Listen, friend,’ the owner answered one of them, ‘I have not cheated you. After all, you agreed to do a day’s work for one silver coin. ¹⁴ Now take your pay and go home. I want to give this man who was hired last as much as I gave you. ¹⁵ Don’t I have the right to do as I wish with my own money? Or are you jealous because I am generous?’”

Matt 20:12-15 GNT