We Simply Don’t Know

As seen in the  "The Heartbeat" and published in the Hot Springs Village Voice

We all strive for answers. For centuries, mankind has sought to explain why creation behaves in the manner it does. When answers to the world’s questions come, sometimes we are resistant to see the truth. Face it, for eons the world was flat, and there was an edge over which we could fall! The sun rotated around the earth until it was determined the opposite was true, and even the church resisted this knowledge. There are matters we just know to be true, when in fact we couldn’t be farther from the truth!!

It is also a matter of human nature. We seek to understand, but when we see "holes" in our understanding, there is a tendency to fill in the holes. When we do, we fill them with the easiest possible answer. Being negative is so much easier that being positive or factual. Here’s an example: The boss calls and says, "I would like to see you at 4:30 today and visit about a matter." All day long you sweat, fret, and worry about what the discussion topic will be. You pour over the things you could have possibly done wrong. "Am I going to get fired? Will I get suspended?" But when the time comes, the boss wanted to commend you on a job well done, and privately talk with you about a possible promotion if you were interested. All of this comes from our human nature. It sounds silly, but remember, people knew without a doubt the world was flat!

This also holds true for our Christian walk. For over two thousand years, people have been trying to say, "I know exactly when Jesus is coming back!" Y2K was a definite date people were throwing around, and even the "war to end all wars" had to be one of those occasions as well. Even today, a few people are being labeled as the anti-Christ which feeds into the misinformation pandemic, which leads to fear.

The Apostles were anxious to know when Jesus would be returning to them. They, like all of us, want to know facts to make them feel more at ease. But we can find Jesus’ words in Matthew 24: ""But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." The Apostles did not get the answer they wanted, but it was the answer Jesus knew they needed.

If we knew the day and hour of Christ’s return, mankind would tend to get a little lazy. We would not begin to prepare in earnest until the time was getting closer. We need to be prepared every day as if Jesus were coming TODAY! Continue in your walk, continue in your daily tasks, but always keep in the back of your mind (and in your preparation) that today could be the day!

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