Ascension : News From The Grotto
Submitted by The Islander (Gavin Yon) 27.11.2003 (Article Archived on 11.12.2003)

Thought For The Week

News From The Grotto

Thought For The Week

The readings this week all concern the end of time.  The importance that we live our lives in such a way so that when it comes, we will be prepared for it.  These are important words, for everyone should be prepared to meet God when the times come.

But when we think about the end of time, do we have to think about the end of the world?  Or should we be prepared for our own end of time.  For all of us, it will come sometime.  Are we ready to meet our God?  We should think about our lives, how we live them, how we treat others, how we conduct our affairs.  When the time comes, how will our balance sheet look?  Will it lean more heavily on the side of good?

Every day we have the opportunity to add to the good column.  Something happens every day that gives us the opportunity to prove our worth.  It could be helping a friend, helping a stranger, doing something good, making someone feel good.  It doesn’t have to be anything huge, something that others will take note of.  It can be something as small as holding a door for someone, telling someone they did a good job.

When was the last time we did something like that?  When we think about our actions on this day, can we think of something to add to the good side?  Hopefully, we all can.  If not, maybe it is time to start working a little harder at it.  Maybe this is our wake up call so that we can be prepared when the time comes.

On the other side of the coin, when we review our day, can we recall instances that we weren’t quite so nice?  Are we reminded of an incident in which our actions caused someone pain or distress?  Were we careless and say something hurtful, brush someone off when they needed a hand?  Worse yet, did we deliberately hurt someone through anger or dislike?  None of us are perfect, we’ve all had our less than stellar moments.  But are we remorseful when we find that we have done this, or do we not even think about it after it happens.

We need to pay more attention to our actions, to carefully weigh their effects on others.  We need to ask forgiveness when we act unkindly, and we also need to forgive those who cause us pain.  It is our duty as Christians to not only act as kindly and compassionately as we can, but to forgive those who don’t.

So this week, let us think about the lessons this week, and remember that not only should we be prepared for the end of time as proclaimed in the bible, we should also be ready to meet the Lord in our own time, and to not fear His judgment.  We should be confident that we have lived our lives in such a way that when we present our balance sheet to Him, the good side will far outweigh the bad, and that the angels will escort us to His side.