Surprise!

“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ “ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. (Matthew 25:1-13 NIV)

Surprise!  People view that word in different ways.  Some people hear it and think of surprise parties or special treats or Christmas morning.  But there are other surprises, too.  Here are some surprises I know people have experienced lately: Walking out to the car to find you can't go anywhere because it won't work.  Having your weekly groceries rung up only to realize that you left your wallet at home.  Walking into work to find in completely flooded and your things ruined.  A shadow on that routine and annoying mammogram that led to the removal of a tumor.  Walking into a child's room to find that they passed away in their sleep.  An FHP phone call that there's been an accident and a loved one didn't survive.

Jesus' parable this morning is very clear.  Life is full of surprises, including when He will come for us.  The hardest part about surprises is that you are not prepared for them.  There are jokes about always being prepared: Always being sure you have on clean underwear when getting into a car.  Never leaving the house without make-up on.  But I think Jesus' is very clear:  always be alert and ready for my return.  You do not know the hour or the day, but you do know I am coming and what my expectations are.  

You're in a bind and have to take the bus.  You walk to the bus stop, but don't have the schedule.  Do you take a nap, or watch for the bus?  Do you wait until the bus is coming to check to see if you have the fare, or do you make sure before the bus arrives?  For some of us, this example is a stretch.  In this day of cellphones and social media, it's more likely that you'd phone a friend or put the request for a ride of Facebook.  And well, really, if you have that technology you could look up the bus schedule.  Okay, okay.  I've thought of another one.  

There's going to be a new baby in the family.  Does Mom wait until she goes into labor to pick a hospital, find a doctor, or even prepare a bag?  No, planning occurs for months in advance!  And EVERYONE gets in on it!  Just check out the nursery....crib, rocker, changing table, toys, books, diapers, wipes, bottles, and of course a closet full of the most adorable clothes you can imagine.  There's a route planned out, usually preregistration done, the phone tree created, car seat installed and even alternative plans "just in case."  Why do we plan so far in advance?  Because you never know what's going to happen and you don't want to be unprepared.  You want to be able to focus on the glorious event.

So why are we reticent in preparing for Christ to come?  We often take the Scarlet O'Hara attitude, "I'll think about that tomorrow."  But what if tomorrow never comes?  I love the words of Garth Brooks' song by that name:

If tomorrow never comes, will she know how much I loved her?  Did I try in every way, to show her every day, that she's my only one?  And if my time on earth were through and she must face this world without me, is the love I gave her in the past, gonna be enought to last, if tomorrow never comes?

Everytime I hear it, I wonder if all those around me know what they mean to me.  I try very hard to make sure I tell them.  I'm very intentional with my love, as well as with my gratitude, my respect, my encouragement, my prayers. But this is about more that that.  

Am I prepared?  Not just do I have a will, although that is important.  Or did I plan my funeral, which is important, too.  These are not the preparations I was thinking of.  Is my heart prepared?  Do I know who Jesus is?  Have I declared who I belong to?  Have I lived my life in a way that I can and am willing to stand behind when I stand face to face with the Judge?  Or will I be too busy making excuses?  Does Light shine through?  Do I live my life serving others or do I live my life for my interests?  What and where are my treasures?  What kind of legacy am I leaving behind?   Will I have made a difference for the sake of eternity?  Has someone seen Him in me?  Did I plant seeds?  Did I live love?  Does He know how much I love Him?  Will I be ready or out searching for that one last thing?

Even as I am typing, I know that I have changes that need to be made.  Today is the day to start making those changes.  Because surprises in life happen and I don't want to be caught unprepared.  I'm going to start by praying for and thanking for all those reading this because YOU ARE LOVED!