Getting ready

Personal Photo: My mom got these little slippers for our little one coming soon and I just love how small they are. Into the hospital bag they go!

I held up the socks, shocked at the smallness of the pair, and wondered how they won't get lost in my bag. I was packing my hospital bag for when I go into labor, and I was putting together a few outfits for our baby boy. It had taken us much longer to getting around to packing our hospital bags than I thought it would, and now that I am 37 weeks, we finally made it a priority to have everything loaded into the car, just in case. I am an over-packer by nature, but I worked hard to keep it all in one bag, including my toiletries, shoes, slippers, and clothes. Having a baby due in September makes packing clothes quite challenging, especially due to the moody weather that could be end of summer hot or beginning of autumn crisp. Regardless, I packed on the lighter side, and found my biggest challenge being what clothes to bring along for baby boy.

Clay and I sat in his nursery and sifted through onesie after onesie before finally choosing one autumn outfit and one summer outfit. We folded up his sweater, chose a set of pajamas, and reveled at the fact we were having a baby in just a few short weeks (or days?!). The next day, Clay cleaned out his car, made sure the car seat was ready to hold our little bundle, folded up a couple blankets for me, and then he took our hospital bags and loaded them up. We were ready. Well, at least as ready as we could be.

I was in baby's nursery last night with Clay, picking up little odds and ends and making sure they were put away in their proper spot. My eyes glanced at the small white Bible on the top of his bookshelf, and they lingered on the golden writing on the front. Our conversation couldn't help but wander to how important it is that we, as Christians, prepare for the future, just like we, as parents, are doing that very thing. Preparation is such a large part of believing in Christ, but it can be so easy to slip into the mundaneness of our every day. We are told in Matthew 24:44, "Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." Jesus wants us all to be ready for His return, to not waste a single second being complacent in our journey of growth towards His light. No one knows when Christ is going to come back to judge the living and the dead, which therefore highlights to us how important it is for us to be prepared. Have we worked to save as many souls as possible? Have we shared God's glory as far and wide as we could? Have we listened for the Holy Spirit to know where, how, who, and when to serve?

Preparation looks different every single day, but it always begins with feeding our souls with the nourishment of the Lord. Just as we wake and feed our bodies to prepare for the day, we must do the same with our souls. 1 Peter 2:2 explains this to us by stating "Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into spiritual salvation." When we go for days and weeks without reading the Word, listening for the Holy Spirit, seeking God's presence, we cannot expect to have strong faith. In this way, we can recognize the importance of feeding ourselves with the Spirit. God's words bring to our life something that nothing else can: hope. Jeremiah 15:16 describes this, saying "Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts." Being children of God means we are not meant to go from one day to the next, but to realize our important roles in the fabric of history. God called us for a certain time and designed us certain ways that we have the ability to bring others to Him. When we focus on the world and feed ourselves only with what the world wants us to believe, we begin to believe we are part of the world. However, nourishing our souls with the Word, believing the promises of the Lord, and focusing on the best ways to serve Him allow us the ability to prepare for His return and not waste a single second.

Preparing for Jesus' return begins with preparing ourselves by feeding our souls and putting on the armor of God. You would not go into war without any kind of protection or weapon, right? It is no different when we face each day, go out into the world, and defend our faith against others. Romans 13:11-12 reads "Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light." These verses explain how believing in the salvation of Christ is a call to be prepared. Because we know what is coming, have the tools to see the signs that He is nearing His return, we therefore have a responsibility to do His work, to hold ourselves to a higher standard than we would expect our nonbelieving friends, and to face the world as a representative for His grace.

When we do this, when we go into the world and have the active faith of God flourishing in our souls, we are not called to be silent, and part of preparing for Heaven, preparing for Jesus to come back, is to not be selfish with our faith, but rather to share it. 1 Peter 3:15 reads "But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect." Sharing God's glory with our peers is part of being a child of His. Defending and sharing our joy for the gift of salvation is the best way to prepare for Jesus coming back. We get to be a beacon of light, pointing people to the Lord's almighty grace, and also get to be active workers for God as a way to show gratitude for all He does for us.

To have the armor of God, the words of the Bible, and the voice of the Holy Spirit and not to use these as tools in our walk with Christ every day is to be complacent. The devil works the least on those who already do not believe in the Lord, and rather he spends his energy making hard-working, prepared Christians become complacent and nonchalant. Getting ready for when we are called to sit with Jesus in Heaven and preparing for His return are everyday activities, and while it might be easy to slip into the day-to-day routine of our lives, it is important to remember we are called to be active in our faith and eager in our worship. When Jesus returns to bring us home with Him, we don't want to be regretful, but rather we want to know that we are as prepared as possible and spend our waiting time eagerly giving Him glory!