Mark 13:37
"What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'"
When I roll out of bed in the morning,
I am neither alert nor awake. It isn't until I'm sipping on the second
cup of coffee that the remnants of drowsiness are dispelled like a
morning mist when greeted by blazing sunlight. In the hazy limbo
between sleep and wakefulness, my thoughts are scattered and incoherent,
and I'm certainly not watching for anything other than the weariness to
fade. If the Lord chose this moment to return (or anytime in the night
when I'm blissfully slumbering), I would be found delinquent and
dilatory in following His command to "Watch!"; that is, of course, if
Jesus meant for us to be physically prepared to meet Him. As He was
wont to use hyperbole in His teachings, I believe Jesus was using
corporeal illustrations to represent the urgent need for our spiritual
readiness upon His return. Our souls, adorned like a bride awaiting her
groom, should be ever mindful, ever anticipating, ever vigilant in each
watch of the day or night.
No one knows the day nor the hour of the Lord's coming. In light of
that, we should engage fully in every present moment, neither dwelling
unproductively on the past nor projecting disproportionate scenarios for
the future. While the one holds precious memories and the other fuels
our hopes and dreams, the here and now is, essentially, all we have. We
can choose to greet each moment, aware and awake, or we can drift away
in dreamy detachment. I hope today you will decide to live in the
moment by moment, wakeful, alert, aware, and watching, so you don't miss
a minute of this life with which God has blessed you!
Interesting. I have to admit, Martha I never considered the idea of being “in physical sleep” when He returns for His bride. I’ve always thought of being “asleep” as simply lacking awareness of His imminent return. I’m ready! My hope rests in His faithfulness, not in my ability to stay awake, because when I sleep, I sleep very soundly! 💤
ReplyDeleteDebby, in all honesty, this post dates back to 2011 when I actually heard the Lord say to me to write daily devotions. My rejoinder? Who, me??? His? Yes, you! He wanted me to grow in the faith, and so I have. I will never be able to thank Him enough for this assignment and all the faithful friends I've met along this journey. I sleep soundly, too!
DeleteYou’ve made an excellent point. May we always be ready, even if we haven’t had the second cup yet.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mimi! Blessings!
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