At the Ready

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"'The time has come,' he said. 'The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!'"

Mark 1:15, NIV

We've had a streak of gorgeous, June-worthy weather here in VA.

That was quickly interrupted by hail and 2inches of snow. What the heck was that all about?

During the few summery days we were blessed with, Squirrel and I made the best of our outdoor time. We pulled the tarp of the patio furniture and brought the dog bed up from the basement faster than you could say "80 degrees!"

It's March; you know it's not going to last, so you need to soak in every minute!

Squirrel was thrilled to be resuming his post as the sole member of the neighborhood watch, ensuring that nothing past by without being warned (loudly!) that "Squirrel lives here." As you can see in the photo above, he was a weeeee bit aware of a crow sitting in a nearby tree. They faced off with each other for the better part of fifteen minutes. The crow eventually flew off, so I guess that means Squirrel won?

One of my favorite holidays of the year is rapidly approaching: Easter.

No, I don't like peeps. I'm not a big fan of candy. I don't search for Easter baskets anymore (although I would if Squirrel hid one for me...).

What I do cherish, is the celebration of Christ's resurrection, and his eventual return. That's the part of the story I don't think we sit enough in. Christ is coming back. Easter was a foretaste, not the whole story. And when he does return, will I be sleeping in my patio furniture, or on the lookout like Squirrel is with the neighborhood?

I trust Jesus's timing, but oh how I long for his return. I can't impact the "when," but I can impact the readiness, at least within my own sphere of influence. I want to live my life with the expectancy of knowing that Jesus could come any day, and I don't want him to find me wasting my time.

With the way my life goes, he'll probably come back when I'm in the bathroom. But then again, I'd rather that than Jesus returning and finding me living in sin or complacency.

But if I could please be caught with neither my metaphorical nor literal pants down...that would be great. Thanks.