When I hear people talk about being prepared when Jesus comes, it sometimes sounds to me like they are just checking their pocket to see if their ticket is there. Confirming they bought that insurance policy.
But the Biblical message of His return captures so much more. The picture of a bride waiting on her Bridegroom can flesh out the anticipation. I’ve seen this eager expectation as friends have gotten engaged over the years. Many have posted a giant calendar with a countdown and a list of all the things they would like to get done to be ready for the big day. All other activities seem trivial compared to the coming celebration.
The picture of a wedding is throughout God’s Word, where Jesus is the Bridegroom coming for His bride. In ancient custom, once the groom is engaged, he leaves and prepares a place, only to return when ready. The return time is unknown to the waiting wedding party so they have to be constantly preparing for it. We see this idea in the parable of the 10 virgins. In that parable, each person has to be prepared in order to get in to the celebration. The idea of a bride being prepared also communicates a personal excitement. She isn’t getting ready with the minimal effort just to check things off her list so as to be technically prepared. But she eagerly anticipates her groom and wants to have everything just right. I can imagine her days being consumed with preparations – physically preparing for him, learning to cook, staying pure. Not because she has to, but because her passion drives her in expectant hope. Her anticipation is not a chore, but a yearning delight.
Do I eagerly await the Bridegroom’s coming? Not just checking to see if I have appropriately RSVP’d to the celebration but consumed with doing everything I can to be prepared because I love Him? Am I staying faithful to Him? Pure? Not out of legalism, but out of joy and celebration because my heart overflows? Am I committed wholly and solely to Him?
I know that sometimes the wait seems long, and it is easy for me to be less than passionate about being ready. I want to keep Him ever before me – like a bride with her fiancé’s picture on the mirror – constantly looking at Him and memorizing every feature. I want to live in that eager anticipation, preparing for His soon return – not because I have to, but because my heart can do no other.
