June 14. I didn’t know what to think. I had been waiting for this day, and here it was!
Dad had finally changed my ticket; I knew for sure when I was coming home! However, the news also brought great sadness with it. I now have an expiration date on my time here, and it's hard. Time now seems to be the only thing filling my mind.
“Keep working because you might not be able to finish your projects before you leave”. “How are you treating the kids? Your days are numbered with them.” “How will the people here remember you? You only have a little time left to make an impression.”
Thoughts like these keep filling my head; I am very excited to go home and see my family and boyfriend again, but my heart is already starting to break at the thought of leaving. My days seem so short. When you put an expiration date on something, the time seems to feel more valuable, and things seem to feel more urgent. But how do we act when we don’t have a looming expiration date?
Maybe that is why Jesus didn’t tell us when He was coming. Watching the days tick away now, I am starting to think about the earth’s expiration date more often. What if Jesus came tomorrow? Would I be ready? What if He came this evening; what would I change about what I was doing? Am I ready to see Him right now?
For me, it is really hard to keep that expiration date in mind because I don’t know when it is, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Our days are numbered. How are we filling them? The more that I pay attention to how much time is passing, the more important time seems. Jesus is coming, and He is coming soon, but how are we preparing for it? Are we telling other people about Him daily and working for Him urgently? Or are we allowing ourselves to get comfortable in the schedule that we have built?
It is really easy for me to follow a schedule and work really hard at the things that I see need to be done soon, but I am sad to say that does not involve telling other people about Jesus as often as I should.
Often I wonder how I can tell people about Him, and even more often I am nervous about telling them about Him, but what if my nervousness cost me the chance to help bring someone into the Kingdom? What if all my doubts had a much higher cost than I realize?
Time is short and all these doubts tell me again and again that I cannot trust myself. As long as I trust in God, He will direct me and give me the words to say; all I have to do is be the instrument He uses.
Time is short; am I letting myself be a living instrument for God? Am I working to reach out to others and bring them to Heaven? What about you? Are you ready for the expiration date?
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