Theressa reached one hand over from where she slouched on the couch to see who was calling her cell. It was her mom. Theressa answered as she looked longingly back at the 3rd book of The Epic Trilogy that she held in her hand. "Be ready to get in the car when I get home." Her mom said through the speaker in her ear. Theressa reached to turn the page with her empty hand. Her mom raised her voice, "Theressa? Are you there? Can you hear me?" "Yup." It was only a mumble, but Theressa felt like it took loads of effort. "Well, be ready! We'll leave as soon as I get home... bye." Theressa dropped the phone limply into her lap and peeled her eyes back onto the pages in front of her. As she read she kept telling herself, just a little more, then I'll get ready. She turned another page, and kept reading. And reading. Theressa was not ready when her mom came home. To her dissapointment her mom found Theressa still engrossed in her book in the same place on the couch as when she had left her.
---- I made Theressa's story as an analogy about Christ's return. Theressa's mom gave her one task: be ready. She made sure her daughter heard what she said and she gave her plenty of warning. The one specific thing she didn't tell her was when she was going to pick her up, but it was Theressa's job to be ready when she did. But Theressa failed even that. She put off the reality of her mom's words and instead engrossed herself in her current cirumstances. The Bible has a lot to say about being ready when Christ returns. It's easy for us as humans on earth to get so caught up in the things of this world that look immportant that the truely important things tend to get hidden from view. We get our hearts set on finding a perfect job. We get obsessed with trying to look the best. We dream about our perfect wedding day, the house we'll have, the children we'll teach, where our children will go to school, how they'll be disciplined... the list goes on. We get so tangled in the everyday "stuff" and the "here and now", we don't see the things we're supposed to. Matthew 24 verses 42 and 43 says, "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and not 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." Don't let yourself fall into the trap Theressa was in as she sat on the couch worrying only about one thing: making herself happy. You've already been promised happiness- don't miss it. Be ready.
Theresa's Story by Emily (not the co-author, an article submitter! thanks for submitting Em!