"So you must also be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him." -Matthew 24:44
Early this morning (like before the sun came up kind of early), I had two vivid dreams. The first one thrilled me, and the second one devastated me; both, however, I feel were relating the same message.
(As a disclaimer, I do not believe that all dreams are God's way of revealing things to us. I have had plenty of wackadoo (favorite made-up word of mine) ones that were happy or scary or crazy but meaningless. These, however, had something to say to me.)
In the first dream, a family of eight from another country that was known for its atheism had been convinced to come visit our church. Our pastor was out of town and unable to return due to horrible weather conditions, so it was up to the members of the congregation to lead the service. Person after person who I have never heard speak in public before got up and spoke from their heart to their fellow church members and this visiting family. By the end of the service, all eight family members had given their lives to the Lord and wanted to be baptized that very day. Since our pastor was not there, someone hesitantly asked the congregation if anyone else would be willing to baptize these new Christians, and surprisingly, more church members volunteered than there were people who needed to be baptized! The family was so moved by the church's excitement that some requested to be baptized twice so that all who were willing to baptize them would be able to do so! After the baptism service, we had a church wide celebration filled with rejoicing, thankfulness, and pure Christian unity; it was amazing!
Then came the second dream. In it, a member of our church family, who is just like family to me, passed away. I do not remember if the dream specified what happened to cause this person to die unexpectedly, but I do recall that it was a huge blow to our church and to me personally. My heart broke at the idea of life without this person's friendship, love, witness, and example in it. The thought of not being able to see them often, hug them tightly, talk with them personally, pray with them earnestly was almost too much to bear. Shortly after hearing the tragic news in my dream, my mind raced back to the latest encounters I had with this person. Did I take time to really see, hear, and interact with them? Did I make sure I told them on a regular basis just how much they meant to me? Did I soak up every life lesson they so wisely and generously attempted to pass on to me? Did I learn from their godly example? Did I get that one last hug? Or was I so busy, so wrapped up in my own thoughts, problems, and tasks that I brushed by them with a hurried, "Hey; how are you?", taking no time to wait for the answer?
When I woke up, excited by the first dream and shaken by the second, I could not help but feel that there was a central message to these two very different dreams: BE READY.
1. BE READY to share the gospel. I may not actually have a family of eight atheists at my church this Sunday, but there are people in my life daily, whether in person or reachable by phone, email, or social media, that need the Lord and the good news of the salvation He offers freely to all. Will I be ready and willing when God leads me to reach out to them like He did my church to that family in the dream or will I be so focused on everything in my life that I cannot or will not see what others around me need and what God is calling me to do as His messenger? Even though pastors are absolutely to be respected and valued leaders and role models of the church, they are not the only ones called to witness. Every saved person has a responsibility to seek to lead others to Christ, inside the church and out.
2. BE READY to meet my Savior face to face, whenever He chooses for that to happen. As Christians, sometimes we can be lulled into a comfort zone of "Well, I'm saved. Got that ticket to Heaven. I'm good." While I one hundred percent believe that once we are truly saved, nothing can take that away, I do not want to show up at the pearly gates one day with just a figurative "Admit One" token in my hand and nothing else. My desire and goal is that God and the people around me here on Earth will be able to see that my salvation is more than just a "fire insurance policy" for me. I don't necessarily care about them listing my accomplishments or honors, but just that they can honestly say that they see Jesus at work in and through me. That I love others purely, confess and repent of sin freely, obey God openly, pray to Him frequently, lead others to Him faithfully, read His word consistently, and live it out and love Him wholeheartedly.
3. BE READY to "give people their roses while they're living." I have heard that statement more than once, and it always sticks with me. It is wonderful to send flowers when someone passes away and to make speeches and statements about how much they meant to us and what an impact they made on those around them. Honoring the dead and the family they left behind is a beautiful tradition, but an even more precious one is to make sure the person knows how much they are loved and valued for who they are and what they do while they are still here on Earth to cherish those words. Don't wait until you are standing at someone's graveside to tell them that you love them, that they changed your life for the better, that they possess qualities you admire, that you are a better person for knowing them. Say it now. Show it now. Give them their roses in the form of fragrant words and beautiful displays of love while they're still here to enjoy it.
I will regrettably but honestly admit that I often fail to "be ready" for some of these things. Life is often hard, messy, and full of surprises (both fabulous and horrific), and, if we let it, it can consume and distract us from what we are here to do. Don't get me wrong. I am not asserting that we stop going to school, taking care of those mountains of laundry, clocking in at work, feeding our kids, cleaning up our homes, or the million other tasks we need to carry out on a daily basis. What I am saying is that it is so important to make time in the middle of that unending to-do list to check in with Jesus, to read His word, to remember why we are here, to speak to Him and allow Him to speak to us. When we don't, scratch that, I'll speak for myself and say "when I don't", I can become like the Tasmanian Devil (Google the cartoon if you're too young to remember it ;)), spinning around in a tizzy, destroying things around me, and completely wrapped up in myself. That is no way to try to serve God, love others, or even survive. It is exhausting, trust me. Let's agree to take time amidst our wackadoo (yep, I said it again) schedules to get ready and stay ready. Life is too short and too impossible without God's help, guidance, and blessing not to do so.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, please help us to be ready and to stay ready...ready to meet You face to face, ready to lead others to You, ready to love on others in Your name, and so much more. Thank You that You are our ever present Helper, Guide, Comforter, Keeper, Lover of our souls. You are our all in all. Help us to live for You in all that we do. We love You. In Jesus's name, Amen!
