When I was in high school, I worked at the airport on the oversize bag belt. I was also responsible for walking around the various baggage carousels and grabbing bins as they made their way around. It wasn't an incredibly strenuous job, but a good portion of my time was spent sitting by the oversize bag talking with other employees. One evening, the manager made his way out to find us sitting around talking rather than working. I still remember the shame of being found slacking off when I should have been working. The manager rarely made his way out there, so I grew lazy, and I was caught.
This is like that, only it's actually important! Jesus is telling us to stay ready, to be on our guard, because he'll be coming back. He doesn't tell us when, and two thousand years later, we've all grown rather comfortable. We don't really expect Jesus to come back any day now, do we? So we prioritize our own items, telling ourselves that we'll get around to putting faith first.
Stay awake, Jesus tells us. This world is not our true home, despite the temptation to think so. May we not be found asleep, but instead, let us continually invest ourselves in the things of God's Kingdom, that our lives may be caught up in joining God's work, rather than putting our own work first. Each morning, may we choose the things of Christ, and let Scripture be a constant reminder that life is more than what we see, more than what we know here -- all of that is enriched by our lives of faith.
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