Be Ready
“So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober.” (1 Thess. 5:6)
This sunset picture that I have included in this post was taken just this evening prior to writing this. What it reminded me of most was how quickly things can change and the need for us to be ready. From a photography perspective it was an ordinary evening being with my beautiful bride and taking the dog for a short walk without any expectation of much in the way of photography as it was a fairly cloudless evening save for a few random clouds forming over near the horizon that I was not paying much attention to.
It was one of those sunsets that did not show itself until it burst into bright orange right as the sun was dropping and it only gave about 5 minutes of window to really capture the best of the color. I didn’t have time to worry with anything fancy like filters or setting up a tripod to do any long exposure work with the waves. All that the sunset gave time for was to run down to the water and find a decent composition that would hopefully capture what was going on in the sky so quickly!
This reminds me so much of the fact that someday our ordinary lives here on earth are going to be interrupted by events in the sky far more dramatic than this beautiful sunset catching me off guard this evening. If you take some time to read over 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 you will find that this chapter is telling us to be awake and ready, watching and expecting the return of the Lord and that His return will be sudden and like a thief in the night. Does this mean that we don’t go about our day to day work in whatever we are called to do on this earth? No, it means that while we are working and serving we are to be expectant and alert. Be ready!!
The best photographers are always expecting and ready to capture the unexpected. Much more importantly, those who are in Christ should be waking up each day expectant and ready for His return. When the trumpet sounds for the Day of the Lord it will be in the blink of an eye and there will be no time left to get prepared and right with God so start today so you are not caught off guard when the day comes.
I hope that this picture and post has blessed your day and caused you to ponder eternal things. Don’t forget to take the time to slow down and take in the beauty that God has made and if you are inclined to do so, take some pictures along the way!
