Be on the Alert!
I believe I actually walked a few steps past the bird’s head before I turned to figure out what it was. It was out of place laying there in the middle of the sidewalk, not far from a busy area full of pedestrians.
Want to guess what I did next?
I looked for the rest of the bird.
Nowhere to be found. Nothing. No feathers—nothing. Made me spend a few minutes trying to figure out what had happened. I don’t remember but wouldn’t surprise me if I had also looked up, like I’d find something way up there dropping bird’s heads down to the ground. No clues up there either.
I then looked to see who was watching. Now I don’t know about other amateur photographers, but I’m a little self-conscious about taking pictures. I’m not very good at taking pictures of people. I don’t want to seem like a stalker. And, in this case, I felt funny about taking a photo of a bird’s head.
Finally, I walked away, acting like nothing out of the ordinary had happened at all. But in my mind, it had. It’s not every day you stumble upon a bird’s head in the middle of the sidewalk. I still wonder what happened and how it had gotten there.
I went from walking along on a normal day, to surprise, bewilderment, self-consciousness, and eventually resigned acceptance.
That’s all fine and well for my situation, but you do not want to experience this when the Lord returns.
Consider what Matthew has to tell us in Matthew 24:37-41 (NASB).
“For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.”
Just normal times for most folks. Living life as usual. Eating, drinking, getting married. By all accounts, man lived large just before the flood. Scholars believe it took between 100 and 120 years to construct the ark. You would think during that time, some would take stock of the situation and prepare.
Matthew tells us they didn’t. They lived lives seemingly with no concern for the future until the day Noah entered the ark and the flood took them all away. Matthew also tells us that is the way Jesus’ second coming will be.
People will be living life just as they always do, then one will be taken, and one will be left. Just like that.
I can imagine you could take my experience with the bird’s head and magnify it times one thousand. Think about it. Walking along on a normal day. In an instant, the person beside you is gone. You would likely go through what I went through on a much grander scale. Surprise, bewilderment, a time of self-consciousness…
Eventually—and I don’t even like thinking about this… resigned acceptance—that you are still here.
We don’t know when He will return. We do have hope, that no matter the time, we can be prepared. Matthew continues with advice in verse 42.
Be on the Alert! #hope #joy #writingcommunity Click To Tweet“Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.”
A few other words for alert are attentive, watchful, observant, and ready. We can be alert by developing a relationship with Him so that it doesn’t matter when He comes. Spend time in the Bible. Talk to God. Accept the One who is returning as your Lord and Savior. He is our hope.
How do you view being on the alert?
Today’s feature photo comes from a “photo-a-day” challenge I pursued several years ago. The photo inspires the topic. For me, the posts challenge my creativity, writing discipline, and dependence on God for His message. My prayer is that you find hope in God’s Word, and that you’ll share your hope with others.
