Stay Awake

“Stay awake, therefore! You cannot know the day Your Lord is coming." 

Matthew 24:42

Lots of times we are unprepared for what is coming. It might be an exam, a job interview, a basketball game, a workshop we're giving. Most of the time we can wing it. We don't fail the exam or make a complete fool of ourself in the interview. But how about when the Big One comes? Residents of Metro Manila and nearby provinces are warned that it's not a question of if, it's a matter of when. The 100 kilometer West Valley fault could shift at any time and the magnitude 7.2 earthquake could kill up to 34,000 people and hurt tens of thousands. Many who stocked up on canned goods, Go bags with flashlights and batteries and energy bars, have eaten their store already. 

Jesus is telling the disciples that they have to be prepared too. No one ever knows when their time is up. Just as we have to be prepared for the Big One or another type of disaster, we also have to prepare for when the Lord comes for us. But God does not only come when our time is up. We also have to be prepared every day, as He visits us   in the words of a friend, a prayer that resonates with us, a news article, even an unexpected health crisis. Jesus journeys with us in our everyday life, and if we are sensitive to His presence, and heed His call, He will one day say to us, “My good and faithful servant.”