As I got home Wednesday night from a meeting Eli came running up to me, “Daddy, I saw Santa, he was riding on a fire truck.” There was such excitement in his voice as he told me all about it. Honestly I’m noit sure if he was more excited about Santa ore about the firetruck. Either way it was incredible seeing his joy and excitement.
2 hours before that, Lindsey had called me and told me to keep a lookout for the jolly big man. She was just leaving work, and I was at home already making dinner with the boys, so she wanted to make sure we didnt miss it. So we started watching out the front window. Pulling up the blinds in anticipation seeing if every truck that went by was Santa. Talk about a bunch of false alarms. I think we saw more big rigs go by our house that hour than we normally do in a full week. We even saw three fire trucks go by on their way to a call. Explain that to a 3 year old. So after an hour or so of watching, Linds was now home and I had to leaver disappointed that I would miss seeing the boy’s faces when Santa came by.
While driving to my meeting it got me thinking. What if we had the same anticipation of Jesus coming back that kids do for Santa coming. What if we lived in such a way as if He was coming back tomorrow? The joy, the excitement, knowing that our Savior was returning. Because the truth is Scripture tells us time and again that Jesus is returning. The only difference is for a kid they know Santa is coming December 25th each year and we teach them to “be good” because Santa is watching. What if we took this same mindset of God is watching and He is calling us to live holy lives know that Jesus is going to return. In church many times we can talk about the idea of Jesus returning as just an afterthought, like oh yeah it will happen one day. But what if Jesus returned tomorrow? Have we lived with urgency to tell others of His ultimate return? I remember a few years back there was a song, “I wish we’d all been ready” and it talked about this very idea. Being prepared because his return is a guarantee. A PROMISE!
“Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Matthew 24:40-44)
We teach our kids to be ready for Santa. What if we started living and teaching the same thing about Jesus return. To be ready and to share with others as if Jesus were coming back tomorrow. That next morning I was totally convicted as I read this.
“Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd.”
(Acts 3:12 )
This is a verse I have read time and time again, but this time it hit me. We need to seize the opportunities God gives us to share, to love, to serve, and to live as if Jesus is coming back at any moment. That thought shouldn’t scare you, but should excite and motivate you, like a child waiting for Santa. Just some thoughts coming from a convicted heart who wants to make the most of every opportunity living this adventure we call life.