Pretty Much Ready — Not Ready

Are you ready?

My kids get on the school bus at about 7:15 a.m. every morning.  While this would be a huge deal for any teenager, it has never been a factor for my kids.  In fact, if they stay in their room past 6:15 a.m. we consider that sleeping in.  This provides us with a luxury of time before school in the morning.  One might think that this would make for a calm morning.  One would be wrong.

We have found that the extra time actually creates a bit of malaise in the boys.  They have time, so they might take a few extra minutes to get their shoes on.  They will often stop to watch a few minutes of a television show or fight with their brother.  All of a sudden they have 3 minutes until they need to be at the bus stop and they still are without shoes.

One morning I asked my 3rd grader if he was ready for school.  His response: “pretty much.”

What does that even mean?  How is someone pretty much ready?  Either you are ready or you are not ready.  We still operate in absolutes, even if many people think that truth changes based on feelings.  I cannot be ready and not ready at the same time.  The standard of readiness is something that is not determined by us, but by some standard beyond ourselves.  There are certain criteria that need to be met in order for my son to be ready for school.  He needs to have his shoes on, his teeth brushed, his lunch packed, and his homework put back together.  He often needs a jacket or gloves as well.

This is the same principle we need to consider when it comes to our spiritual life.  We know that we will exist forever; the question is where.  Yesterday we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus.  We celebrate that with such emphasis because it is the basis for our salvation.  Without this sacrifice, our sins are not forgive, and we perish like we deserve.   We are objects of wrath because of our sin and have no way of standing anywhere near a Holy God.   But God loves us so much that He gave us a way, The Way, to Him in Jesus Christ.  The Bible tells us that if we confess with our mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart God raised Him from the dead we will be saved.  There is no magic formula of good deeds and hoping in ourself.   The work is completely in the hands of Jesus Christ.  We are called to follow Him faithfully and surrender our hearts to Him.

Don’t waste time chasing things of the world.  Much like my children before school, so many people wait until a later time to commit to Jesus.  So many go through life thinking that they have so much time before needing to get things in order.  Yet, we just don’t know when it will end.  It is better to be ready than to leave it to chance because forever is a long time. The only way to be ready is to trust in Jesus Christ.  When it comes time to stand before God the answer “pretty much” will not cut it.