Blog #3: PLAN FOR THE FLIGHT

My wife and I have been traveling to the Northwest with our 9-month-old son in the last few days. It has been a wonderful experience for the most part. We were so looking forward to it, especially my wife. She is the kind of person who has detailed planning for things like this: she would already plan the activities to do for each day at each location, even before we left Flowood, MS. She is one of those ladies who prepare the right clothing to pack because we might go for a horse or four-wheeler ride on the mountains of Midvale, or that she already knows the plate to order from the menu of The Cheesecake Factory in Boise when we go dine there on one evening. Unlike her, I am more on the side of adventure and spontaneous fun, the kind of “let’s go and we’ll enjoy what we have available”. And you can guess that many times she’s been very helpful to me with the things that I thought I forgot to bring, but then she hands them over to me with a smile (or with rolled eyes sometimes). But one of the trickiest things about this recent journey is the airport hassle and time for checking. Whether the detail-oriented planner such as my wife, or the more spontaneous person as I am, or even the ones that are totally dependent passenger like Lee Gracen, you have to be there at or before the cut-off TIME, or you will miss everything. We may have prepared the right baggage with the appropriate items in it; and may have all the activity plans booked and lined-up… but if all of these other preparations DO NOT result in the readiness for the flight, all will amount to nothing. At the terminal, we have witnessed people being frustrated and mad, making several phone calls and so stressed out to find a way out because they just missed their flight, not fun at all. Jesus, in Matthew 24:42-44 warns us that His coming is going to be TIME SENSITIVE. It will take many people by surprise that we have to be prepared today and everyday – We all do have different ways and manners to do planning: some are more for the details and some for the big pictures, some are just excited about the coming of Jesus when some already have a long to-do-list in the new heaven and earth… but all of these planning and excitement must result into our preparedness TODAY, and EVERYDAY, or all would amount to nothing.

As you are planning your activities for this day, or this month, I would like to challenge you to assess whether your planning would lead you to a TIMELY READINESS of His coming. It is possible that today is the last day that you have to prepare for the coming of your beloved Jesus. Someday soon, according to 1 Thes.4:17, those who are in Christ will be caught-up and will meet Jesus in the air… what a flight will that be; are you onboard with Jesus today?

-Pastor Tiana