Are we still here? No end of the world today?
You know, it does make you laugh how many times people have predicted the end of the world. As Christians, we know that God says “…about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven…” (Matthew 24:36).
In other words, God tells us that people can’t predict that end of the days because only God knows when that is.
Still, when people start talking about the end, I do think more about what it will be like. I’m reminded of that song by MercyMe called “I Can Only Imagine” where they talk about what they’ll do when they finally meet Jesus:
“Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for You Jesus or in awe of you be still
Will I stand in Your presence or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all”
I think about this sometimes. Knowing me, I’d probably bawl and feel very unworthy. I feel unworthy a lot as a Christian, and I’m always amazed that Jesus did what He did for us. We don’t deserve it, but He did it because of who He is.
There’s another question that pops into my mind. Am I ready? Have I done all I can on this earth?
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that I’m hard on myself. That’s my nature, my upbringing, my personal history. I want to live the life that Jesus intended for me. But how do you know you’re doing that? I think about “purpose” a lot and what mine is on this earth. I think it has to do with writing. I think it has to do with what I’m doing now: writing poetry and articles about life and helping people to connect.
I try to be honest about my imperfections so people can see that you don’t need to perfect to be loved and appreciated. I’m honest about my past because your past doesn’t define you. I want people to know that no matter what they have been through, they are loved.
That isn’t an easy message for people sometimes. There are people who have tried to spread rumors, lie about me, bully me, not just in the distant past but in the recent past. It hurts. It hurts when someone feels you don’t live up to their perception of what you should be like so they try to destroy your character. I’ll never understand why people do that.
The even harder thing is praying for them. You know God wants you to do this. I try really hard to do it. It isn’t easy, but I find that admitting to God that it’s hard makes it easier. He understands.
So back to the end of the world… one thing is certain, December 21st came in with a roar. We got a serious snowstorm here. Wicked wind, cold rain, lots of the white stuff. My glass sculptures look very chilly as they endure the cold.
I jokingly asked my husband what he wanted for his “end of the world” dinner tonight. Something complicated? An easy dish like tuna casserole? He said maybe we’ll just get a McRib at McDonalds. LOL! Sounds good to me.
