Today’s post from 40 Days of Lent picks up where we left off yesterday with Matthew 24:36-51.

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
Matthew 24:42-44

I have to give Heidi Vars credit for the title of this post because she used those words in a comment on my post yesterday about the end times. Thanks Heidi!

Regardless of the questions surrounding yesterday’s post, as followers of Christ, we know that our Lord and Savior is coming back. What we don’t know is when He is coming. It could be in 1000 years. It could be in 300 years. It could be tonight. We just don’t know.

It’s been interesting for me to recognize how my view of the “end times” has shifted as my faith has matured. Despite growing up believing in Jesus and identifying as a Christian, I was definitely still much more oriented to a world-view than a God-view. I was terrified of the end times because I liked my life on earth and was scared about what might happen as described in scripture like yesterday’s post.

Now that I have lived a bit and experienced more of the tragedies and sorrows of life, I can now see that we are not living in the place we were made to live. As CS Lewis famously said, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.” 

It’s not that I’m dissatisfied with my life here. I love my husband, my family, my friends. I enjoy exploring Maine and traveling to experience the beauty and diversity of other places. I find satisfaction in my work and aspire to engage my talents and interests in many ways as my life continues to unfold.

But there’s no question that the more I get to know Jesus, the more I desire to be with Him in the Kingdom. I fear my own death less because I know that something beyond my wildest imagination yet perfectly suited to my creation is waiting for me in the next chapter. It’s not a morbid thought, it’s just a joyful realization.

In the meantime, it’s up to us to keep our lamps lit in anticipation of His return. We can’t get lazy or put things off in our walk with Christ because we truly do not know when He is coming back.

And why put it off anyways? What better thing is there than to live with the light of Christ shining brightly through us?

I pray for the continued remembrance of this desire to be filled with His light, that we would be ready at all times to receive Him and that we would be joyful in our anticipation.

Amen!