Do you believe? Seize the Day!

What does it mean to believe Jesus is coming again very soon? Many Seventh-day Adventists and other Christians have felt a special urgency because of 9/11 and the changes in the world since then. But does believing that Jesus' return is very soon just mean becoming enthusiastic about the latest signs? I think not.

"The time is short just means the time is now." We are free to simplify our lives. We can downsize instead of supersizing. We can choose not get a bigger house, expand more than ample wardrobes, or upgrade the couch. It seems to me that most of us who are not currently retired will not retire on earth, so why worry about our retirement plan? Is our faith dead or is it alive, active, and moving? We need to spend more time making new friends to come with us and encouraging our current friends and family to be ready.

Maybe you think I am just being critical of those who haven't taken the radical step our family has. But we are still working on simplifying our lives. This week we cleaned out two large boxes of videos and CD's that we no longer feel we need. I must confess I have been dealing with a lust for travel, since my sister offered to help us come visit her in Europe and fulfill our childhood dream of visiting our grandfather's birthplace in Sweden. Recently it has been brought to my mind how strong the feeling that "heaven is better" was expressed by those have seen it in vision. If this world is that dark and dreary compared with heaven and the things God has planned for us, how can I spend that much time planning a visit to part of it?

If we believe, now is not the time to spend most of our precious time and money on the things that will soon be fuel for the fire. I miss opportunities like everyone. I think of Angela who disappeared last summer. I never met her, but we lived in the same village for more than a year. I think of Kenneth who visited last week, but I was too tired to give him the attention I could have. Every day needs to be filled with becoming closer to God and each other. I want to remember that better.

"Everybody I know says they need just one thing, and what they really mean is they need just one thing more". What is your one thing?

Seize the Day!
Verity (quotes are Rich Mullins)