We must have finished up everything before the Lord suddenly comes for us.

Wednesday, 19’22/14

Jesus tells us, “You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect the Son of Man will come.”  That means  we must suspend out partying to make time for giving an account of our lives.

The way I was brought up, being ready for death meant being in the state of grace. But is that negative assessment enough for you and me? Don’t we need to do something more than not being caught with original sin?

           

Le me repeat some thoughts I am always laying before people. Twenty-five years ago a sixth grade girl raised her hand, asking, “If we are all made in God’s image, how come some people are left handed?” My answer was, “My sister Peggy was left-  handed, so I guess God makes mean people left-handed so we can watch out for them.”

Of course, I didn’t mean that. Peg was a fine sister and wonderful mother to thirteen children. But, the kid’s question was good. I rephrased it like this, “How can we all be like God when we are so different from each other?”

I like the answer I came up with, even though it has no theological or Scriptural basis. What I do is I picture God as being like a many-faceted diamond, with each of us born with the potential of mirroring a separate facet of God. Our life’s work must be to ever more clearly mirror that facet by developing our unique God-given talents, and by clearing away everything un-Godly about us.

Another goal we should set for ourselves stems from some words of Socrates. He said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” That means that while we have time we should assess the value of what our lives and beliefs have been.

We keep tricking ourselves into thinking we can keep putting off what is called for in our self development: what acts of kindness we owe our friends and foes. I say we trick ourselves, and all of us do. It is axiomatic in Psychology that we all fool ourselves into thinking we have time. But, we haven’t. Jesus said he will come like a thief in the night, and we better be prepared for that sudden visitation.