Our family pitching the tent at our campsite
Our family went camping over our short fall break. When I say camping I mean tent camping. Yep, we slept on the ground in sleeping bags – real camping. It took hours to prepare for this trip. Anna made the list with me. We took an entire day to purchase the food, an extra bike rack for the van, sleeping bags that would keep us warm at 40 degrees and then we had to pack it all into our van. When we decided on our campsite we then had to unload and pitch our tent. It seems to me it takes much more time to prepare for an event than the time we are given to enjoy it.
How long does it take to make a fabulous home cooked meal? Usually if it’s a really good meal it takes me at least an hour. How long does it take for our families to inhale that food? In our house it takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Why is it that the preparation takes so long but the enjoyment is so quick?
We are preparing as children, teens and young adults to be mature, responsible citizens with great careers that will add to our society. We are preparing for our own children’s futures. We are preparing for retirement. Eventually we are preparing for our own demise.
I guess the preparation is needed in this life. We do not want to be caught off guard. We want everything to go as planned so we take the time to make a plan. My question today is: Are we preparing our lives to live with God for eternity? We prepare for our children, future, vacations, financial stability and so much growth but have we prepared our hearts for God?
How do we prepare our lives for God? We need to know God. We need to talk with God daily. We need to walk with God and ask Him what His will for us is daily. We need to do those things He whispers in our ears that may feel awkward and sometimes uncomfortable, like helping others our society thinks we should not even talk to. We need to live our lives giving our kindness, time, talent and every blessing God’s has graced us with others.
Our preparation for the afterlife should last our entire lives. That’s a long time. But the great thing about Heaven is it will outlast all of our preparation time and it will be an experience of love, bliss and enjoyment beyond our understanding and beyond all time.
