I was sitting at my dining room table early this morning (in my pj’s) enjoying a nice cup of tea and listening to an online sermon … when the driveway Ring notification went off! Oh no! Are the roofers here?!?
I hopped up and went to look out the window.
Sure enough … the roofers were here!!
But they are never this early! It’s not even 8am yet!!
They usually don’t ever show up until 9:15am. I should have had plenty of time to “get ready.”
Besides, I had been totally convinced the roofers would not be coming at all today!
After all, they had not come yesterday. And yesterday morning was delightfully sunny. I figured they must have been waiting for the new skylights to arrive.
The skylights which are coming are the type which need to be anchored underneath the roofing material. So perhaps they couldn’t do any more work on the roof until the skylights were installed.
Whatever the case, I had been ready and prepared yesterday morning! In fact, I have been ready and prepared every morning! You see, our home is rather like a fishbowl, with the entire back of our house being entirely windows! And windows down the sides … and windows up above your head with skylights!
So, when there are construction workers here and there and everywhere all around the outside, there is basically nowhere you can go inside where you aren’t seen. It feels very much like being in a fishbowl.
To be sure, you don’t want to be running around in your pj’s when the construction workers arrive!
I dropped everything and scurried to go get my shower. In my mind I wondered if perhaps the new skylights might be showing up today, and perhaps the roofers had arrived early to start taking out the old skylights.
One of the skylights happens to be located in our bathroom. So of course, I couldn’t help but worry just a bit that they might start taking out that skylight, as I was frantically hurrying to get a speed-shower!
Thankfully they did not start removing the old skylights!
But rather, they set to work installing the new metal roofing panels, way up on the top portion of our home.
I was caught off guard!!
I was “not ready.”
I couldn’t help but think that when Jesus Christ comes back again … we all will be caught off guard!
“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” – Matthew 24:36
Yesterday was “garbage day.” Hubby and I don’t keep our garbage in the garbage bin outside because the bears will get into it! … and make a huge mess everywhere! So on “garbage day” hubby usually carries the bags of garbage out to the car with him as he is leaving for work.
Then, as he drives out our driveway (on his way to work) he pauses at the road and drops the garbage in the bin … and rolls the bin out to the road.
Yesterday morning, hubby was so exhausted that when he drove out the driveway, he completely forgot to pause and put the garbage in the garbage bin. But rather, he drove on down the road headed to work.
This has happened before, and usually I notice and give him a quick call on his cell phone. And he turns around and comes right back.
But yesterday morning, I was so exhausted I didn’t even notice.
It wasn’t until almost 20 minutes later, I realized hubby had driven on to work with the bags of garbage in the back of his car. I could only imagine how his car was going to smell by the end of his work day, when he came back to get in his car to go home.
When it comes to life itself, it seems a lot of people are “driving” around with “garbage” in the back of their life!
They drive around with “garbage” of a bad attitude!
They drive around with “garbage” of hatefulness towards others!
They drive around with “garbage” of gossip about others!
They drive around with “garbage” of slander against others!
They drive around with “garbage” of resentment!
They drive around with “garbage” of bitterness towards others!
This morning, when I was caught off guard by the roofers showing up early … and I was panicked because I was “not ready” … I couldn’t help but think of hubby driving around with garbage in his car.
And I wondered: “When Jesus shows up and we all are caught off guard … will Jesus find us “driving” around with “garbage” in our life??
Will our life be a stinky garbage mess … when Jesus catches us off guard??
How long have we been “driving” through life with all that “garbage” in the back?? Has it been years?? If so, it’s got to be really, really awful smelling!!!
Is it just a couple of bags of “garbage” in the back of our life?? … or has this been going on so long that it has accumulated into piles of “garbage”??
Obviously, hubby and I missed garbage pickup this week. Our garbage now has to wait in the workshop until next week.
The good news, when it comes to “driving” around with “garbage” in our life … we don’t have to wait for “garbage pickup day.” Jesus offers to take that “garbage” right now!
But wait a minute … I thought we didn’t want Jesus catching us off guard with lots of “garbage” in our life. That would be so embarrassing!! So why would we want to give all that “garbage” to him right now??
Because Jesus wants us to have clean lives. Jesus died to conquer Satan, sin, death, hell, and the wrath of God. And Jesus rose from death so that we could be clean from sin, and not have “garbage” in our life.
Jesus wants us to daily come to him with our “bags of garbage” and he will gladly and freely remove it for us!
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” – Psalm 103:12
When Jesus comes back, if he catches us off guard with piles of nasty “garbage” in our life, that will be so embarrassing because it will be proof that we have not been in close fellowship or relationship with him. It will be proof that we have not been obedient to him.
What about you??
When you are caught off guard by Jesus’s return, is there any “garbage” driving around life with you??
If so, give that “garbage” to Jesus right now. He will be so happy to take it away for you. Jesus can take that bitterness away. Jesus can take that anger away. Jesus can take that resentment away. Jesus can take that pride away.
When you are caught off guard … will you “be ready”?
