Mortal Reminder

There will come a day when we suddenly find ourselves face-to-face with our own mortality.

So long as that day is not today, we are fine with that.

Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. - Mark 13:33

In this excerpt from Mark's Gospel, Jesus warns his disciples to stay awake, to remain vigilant at all times, because they will never know the day or hour that they will be called home.

It is the kind of lesson we do not want to hear.  Who wants to be reminded that they are mortal?

We look at the reminder as a wake-up call, a shout out telling us we have little time to waste, and that is what it is, but it is also a call to reassess, to think about our lives differently.

Perhaps you have already experienced a call like that and you have started to declutter, to remove the distractions, or to reconnect with once close friends.

Why wait?

I have a friend who has had a few such reminders lately and it has given me a reason to stop and take notice.  Imagine, I think, if this is the last day I have.  What would give it that special place in my life that it deserves?

I get calls all the time to do this or that, to join this team, to attend that event, and I often say, "Yes."

But maybe I should say, "No."

Maybe I should get down to the important stuff and let everything else go.  Ah, but what is the important stuff I need to focus on?

That is the hidden message in the wake-up call.  What good is it to be reminded to get going if you don't know where you have to go?

In the parable, Jesus talks about the servants needing to be awake, because the master will be coming home.  When that happens, they will need to greet him, prepare a meal, welcome him, be attentive to him.

They understand that.  It is their job and responsibility.  But what is it we are to do?

I think the reminder is not about tidying up, eliminating clutter, downsizing.  I think it is about being ready for what comes next, for meeting the master face-to-face.

Can we be ready for that?

How can we be ready?

Perhaps the answer lies in trying to see ourselves the way the master sees us.  We want the master to smile and embrace us when he sees us, so we need to be eager to see him come home.

I will admit that I can wait.  I am not in a hurry for that encounter, even though it is what He may be waiting for all my life.

You see, I believe the master can't wait to get home to his family and loyal servants.  This is his home.  This is where he wants to be.  And we are the ones he wants to be with.

So, when the time comes, I need to be ready and yes, I need to be eager to greet him.

That will take some work on my part.  I had better start thinking about it now, before the alarm sounds and I have to wake up.

More to come...