The Stuff Between
“For at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
Whenever I read this scripture passage, I’m reminded of a talk I heard in college. My friend, an awesome, holy guy named Jimmy, was working as a missionary for Saint Paul’s Outreach, and he gave a talk about longing for Jesus to come back.
Jimmy was on the brink of getting married and, in a moment of real authenticity, shared, “I want to marry Sarah more than I want Jesus to come.” He went on to share that we need to adjust our thinking - that we can’t afford to want someone or something more than we want Jesus to come back. It made me ask,
Do I really want Jesus to come back?
I remember this talk because I was convicted by it. When I heard it, there were plenty of things that felt more important than Jesus coming back. When I think of it now, my list is shorter, but it’s not 100% gone. As much as I hate to admit it, there are things I want more than for Him to come back.
I like the idea of getting married. I like the idea of rocking a job. I like the idea of raising kids - of buying a house, of building a life. I like the sound of all that. A lot. The truth is,
It’s hard to long for the Second Coming when I like my life.
I’ve fallen in love with my life - with what is, with what’s coming, with what could be. If Jesus comes back, that changes things. I’m looking forward to this life, and if He comes back, it … changes. To say the least. Sometimes, it’s hard to be excited about that - particularly when things are good.
When things are hard or bad, I’m totally fine with Jesus coming. I’m totally fine with the idea of Him sweeping me off my feet and back home to Heaven. But - when things are good? When things are good, I want to keep going, keep living, keep adventuring. When things are good,
I’m afraid that Jesus coming back won’t be as good as my hopes for my life.
And that’s just it. It’s all about me. I’m afraid that I’ll be disappointed, that God won’t be enough. When I want something or someone more than I want Him to come back, it’s because I don’t believe that He’s better. And He is.
Sisters, it’s hard to surrender the life you have planned, but it’s better. God won’t come back to dash your hopes or disappoint you. He’ll come back to make you whole. Our lives aren’t just about what we want - they’re about Him and His love and His Kingdom. I can’t afford to push Him away until I’m comfortable with Him coming back. I have to surrender the things that stand in the way today. We all do.
We need to surrender the stuff that stands between us and Him.
We have to surrender the things that we want. We have to hand it over, to give it back to Him so that it doesn’t trip us on our way to Heaven - because that’s where we’re headed, and we can’t afford to let stuff stand in the way.
Whatever your stuff is - a man, a job, a family, a leadership role, a house, a career - whatever it is, give it back to Him today. It was His to begin with and will be His at the end, so let it go. You’re not meant to clutch your dreams; you’re meant to hold them like you’d hold something precious.
It sounds corny, but I think of holding a butterfly. You don’t grasp a butterfly - that would be tragic. You hold it carefully, lightly, freely - with the freedom to let it fly off - joyful that you even had the chance to wonder at it. You just offer it a place to land.
Father,
Thank You. Thank You for all the times You’ve taken our slights. Thank You for all the love and mercy You’ve shown us - even when we bench You, even when You take a backseat to the things that we want.
Please come and help our hearts. Show us how to love You, how to long for You.
God. We want You to come back. We really do. In the depths of our hearts, at the bottom of our desires, we long for You.
Help us to recognize our hope for what it truly is - hope in You and the life You have called us to embrace, the eternal life You offer.
Help us to breathe You in and live full, beautiful lives in Your presence.
We love You. Amen.