By Pat
With all the crazy weather the world has been experiencing lately, much has been said about "the end" getting closer. Earthquakes which seem to be increasing in frequency, hurricanes, flooding, record-breaking seasons of tornados and droughts...hmm. People are talking. Could it be true? Could the end really be getting close? Wow! I hope so!
But wait...didn't Jesus clearly state, after telling us the signs to watch for, that we won't really know when it will happen? "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." (Matthew 24:36). Yep. he sure did say that, and I believe it.
Therefore, instead of anxiously awaiting our departure from this world and arrival into the one to come, shouldn't we be making wise use of our time? I admit, with the current struggles my family and I have been undergoing for what seems to be a VERY long time now, nothing would make me happier than a swift and final exit. Goodbye, troubles! Goodbye, sadness! Goodbye, heartaches and pain and worries! I'm outta here! But also goodbye, unsaved friends and family. Goodbye, opportunities to discover more fully how God wants me to use my gifts and talents. Goodbye, chances to make the world a little better.
As tempting as it is to focus on the coming of Jesus, we can't allow ourselves to become so wrapped up in looking for signs that we fail to focus fully on the present, and therefore neglect the things we need to be doing here. We have to live more fully, serve more joyfully, seek more diligently, and witness more urgently. We must focus on today and live it to the best of our ability and allow God to use our current difficulites to mold and strengthen us. If we live with the "get me outta here" mentality, we fail to become the very best we can be for God.
And so, no matter how tough things get, there is still work to be done, more souls to be won, so I pray that God will adjust my focus, correct my mindset, and use me to be the best servant I can be!
Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.