Are You Ready?
Our family lives in the Rocky Mountain Region, a region of extremes. When my husband and I, our three children, and their families get together, we often discuss our preparedness for emergency situations. What if it were necessary to build a fire with no matches? Which one of us is best suited to stitching up a wound? Could you jump on your horse and ride off bareback at a moment’s notice? What about water?
One ever-present concern is the weather. Are we all prepared to hole up for a few days if we wake up to a couple of feet of snow? Not only will we need plenty of food, but we also have to consider what to do if the power goes out.
In the late 1990s, we got our first snow of the season on a day in mid-October. It was falling wet and slushy as I drove downtown to meet my mom, who was coming in from the north by bus. The bus was over an hour late, because of the weather, they said. Really? I thought. This wet stuff is causing such a delay? The bus finally arrived, and we headed to my house on the north side of town. The closer I got to home, the deeper the snow became. So this is why the bus had taken so long.
The next morning, we had three feet of snow. It was quite an adventure. Nothing was moving but snowplows, and there was no question of going to work or school. The kids dug a snow cave and built snowmen, and my mom got to stay an extra day or two. Such fun!
However, I remember that we later learned that at least one woman didn’t make it home that day. Her car got stuck, and she froze to death waiting for help to come. She had been completely unprepared for adverse conditions.
In this day of ubiquitous cell phones, it’s easy to forget that it hasn’t been many years since help wasn’t always as near as the palm of your hand. It’s possible to live in a bubble where we feel that man has conquered the elements, and being constantly prepared for anything is a silly waste of time. But our family still tries to live by this motto: Your failure to plan shouldn’t become my emergency!
As I think about preparing for disaster, I sometimes find myself trying to reconcile this with Jesus’ instruction not to be anxious about tomorrow. Being anxious accomplishes nothing. Storing up treasures on earth is pointless because the elements may destroy it, and people may steal it. Our sense of being in control is an illusion.
Is everything we do, then, meaningless?
No! There is plenty of work to do. We must never forget that Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15 ESV). He also explained in detail what it is that we are to be ready for. We are not to forget that our Master could return at any moment, and that he expects to find us doing his work.
Jesus explained further with the parable of the Ten Virgins. These young women were waiting for the bridegroom to arrive for a wedding feast. The wait was longer than anticipated, and they fell asleep. When, at midnight, word finally came that the bridegroom was on his way, five of the virgins, who had prepared by bringing extra oil for their lamps, went in with the wedding party to the feast. While the five who had foolishly left home unprepared scurried around trying to find oil at that hour, they were shut out of the feast.
Next, Jesus told the parable of the master who went out of town and left three of his servants in charge of his property. The amount with which each was entrusted was based on their abilities. Two of them invested the allotment wisely, and were rewarded with more when the master returned. The servant who buried his one share in the ground was called a worthless servant and cast out into the darkness.
Peter says said our inheritance is being kept in heaven for us. Our salvation is ready to be revealed in the last time. When is that last time? No one knows. It will come like a thief in the night. Be ready.
Lord God, Master of time, through your word, teach us to stay awake and be ready for your return. Help us discern where we are serving you and where our work is not accomplishing your will for us. In Jesus name, Amen.
Scripture for Reflection
“Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work” (2 Tim. 2:21 ESV).
“Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure’— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are the true words of God’” (Rev. 19:6-9 ESV).
Reach for More
When Jesus returns, will he find you ready and doing his work? In Matthew 25, Jesus tells us that he will know his own by the way they have cared for others. Are you ready for every good work?
Through the gift of a faithful mother and grandmother, grew up knowing Jesus as a friend. Married for nearly two-thirds of her life, there has been time for several seasons, from homeschooling to owning a coffee shop. She has three grown children and nine grandchildren. An element of this season is writing about literature and life at Plumfield and Paideia.
Photograph © James Bloedel, used with permission
