Here today, gone tomorrow. Are we ready to meet our Maker
And just like that, our dentist friend was called home to the Lord. He was only 55.
Somehow when an older person, like a grandparent, passes on, we are somehow less fazed by it. But when someone near your age group passes on, it is much harder to accept.
It just doesn’t seem right. Death is for the old, isn’t it? Of course, it isn’t but the mind isn’t always reasonable or logical.
Death
Death often makes me think.
I wrote about the different personas we wear when my uncle passed on in Who Are You??? And then I asked, What Legacy Are You Leaving Behind when a fellow homeschool mom passed on.
Questions
And just like the other times, I have questions that bug me as I think about death:
- Have I prepared my children for Life?
- How ready am I to meet my Maker?
A) Have I Prepared My Children for Life?
As a mother of children who are still young, this question bugs me a lot. I now have an adult son [21 Years Old] who has gone through NS and God-willing be starting university in August. And 4 teenagers who I think should be able to handle life ok if I am no longer here on earth. At least the practical stuff.
But I still have a 10 and a 12-year-old. If I were to be called home now, would they be prepared for Life? The answer is obvious – NO. And they would not be expected to.
However, my friend’s death made me realise that I need to be more intentional about preparing them for it.
I cannot assume that I will have enough time later to teach them. For who knows when I will be called Home? I have often let busyness overtake whatever good intentions I have.
But is it only the younger children who are not prepared? Are the adult child and older teens truly prepared? What does it mean to be truly prepared anyway?
Life Skills
I am not just referring to life skills like cooking and running a household because in today’s world of Google and Youtube, I am sure they will be able to figure out how to cook a meal or clean and manage a house. There are also lots of gadgets around to help them out if they have the means to buy them. [Read Gadgets: Bane or Boon?]
They just need to practice the life skills they have learnt often enough because there is nothing like actually performing a skill to learn it quickly.
Glorify God
But rather, the more pertinent question is:
Do they know how to live out their lives in ways that glorify God, that place God right in the centre of their lives?
I remember my second gynaecologist commenting at one prenatal visit that the most important thing we can teach our children is to love the Lord our God will all their hearts, minds and souls and strength. And then everything will fall in place.
His comment has stuck with me because it is true and correct.
But it also leads to all kinds of helplessness. Because sure, we can teach them to love God but we can’t make them love the Lord or believe in Him.
Deuteronomy 4:6-9 says that we are to be the ones who teach God’s word to our children. We are to:
“teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” Deuteronomy 4:7
ie daily living.
And so, we must read the Bible to them and share our faith walk and testimonies with them. We could also immerse them in our Church community. It can be a great place for our children to grow up in. Just don’t farm our children’s faith walk out to the Church.
No Guarantees
But the thing is, none of these guarantees that they will love the Lord and follow after Him. Just because they grow up in a Christian environment does not mean they will believe and love the Lord and will serve Him.
In the end, each has to wrestle with God and decide for himself to either follow or not follow Him. And to serve Him or not. There are no shortcuts. There are no faith hacks. We can’t do it for them. It is a journey all followers of Christ have to go on.
We just have to keep praying for them and over them, committing them to the Lord.
And then the other question…
B) How Ready Am I to Meet Our Maker?
One moment Dr Jimmy was having fun with his friends and wife and then the next, he is with Jesus.
Poof!
Gone. Just like that. And gone is gone. It is final. It is the end.
He had no known illnesses or sickness. I saw a video clip of him enjoying the sun and the sea just the day before he was called home. At least he was enjoying himself when he went.
A friend’s mother was doing her quiet time at her usual spot when the Lord called her home. Another’s mother went to bed and woke up in heaven. How blessed!
Some of us get a long period of time to prepare to meet our Maker. Lying in bed: sick and maybe in pain. Some of us are gone in a blink of an eye. No time for goodbyes. No time to get our stuff in order.
We Must All Meet Our Maker
How we go, we do not know. But go we will. All of us.
Are we ready to meet our Maker? What will we be found doing when He takes us Home? And of course, the dreaded question: what will we hear Him say when we stand before Him?
Will it be, “Well done, good and faithful servant?” Matthew 25:21, NKJV. Or will it be, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” Matthew 7:23, NKJV.
Fulfil Your Assignment
It made me think (again) about fulfilling our assignments that the Lord has given.
Each of us has assignments He has given to us. Some have many assignments, while others have few. Some are big and some are small. But we all have assignments from the Lord.
Ephesians 2:10, NKJV reminds us of that:
“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
He has prepared good works for us to do. Do you know what they are? Are you doing them? Will you be able to give a good account of what you have done?
Mind you, this has nothing to do with our salvation which is entirely by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). And remember, it is faithfulness and obedience He is looking for, not success.
Do we know what we are to do? Are we doing it? When He calls me home, will I be able to stand before Him and say,
“This is what You have asked me to do and I have done it to the best of my ability. Have mercy on me!”
Or will I stand before Him and plead ignorance?
“Lord, help me live out my days with purpose and in fulfilling my ministry that You have given to me!”
What About You?
Have you been intentionally teaching your children life skills and life lessons, teaching them to love the Lord our God with all their hearts, souls and minds? Have you also been teaching them that knowing their assignment and fulfilling them is part of every Christ follower’s life?
There is no greater legacy to leave behind than to have our children love the Lord with all their hearts, souls, minds and strength. Children who choose to walk in His truth, who choose to serve Him and His kingdom.
Resources
If you need more help in this process, our ministry Archippus Awakening has some for you.
Books
SAY TO ARCHIPPUS is written for the Body of Christ but appeals directly and personally to the individual. It is the sounding of a clarion call for all to be awakened, aligned and assigned. To aid the reader in his/her own processing, questions have been added after each chapter for personal reflection or discussion at group level.
ALIGNMENT CHECK Is there more to Christianity than church service, cell group and that odd ministry trip when convenient? There definitely is! Jesus invites all to participate in the advancement of His glorious kingdom. And it begins with an Alignment Check. Focus on the aligning. Let God do the assigning. The book is a practical follow-on volume for those who have been awakened with the desire to be aligned and to discover kingdom assignments.
Events
1. AWE 2019 on 26th – 28th July 2019
This 3D2N event invites you to pull away from the busyness of life to receive and process the kingdom assignments that the Lord has prepared for you. The key focus is to understand what it means to be awakened, and how to check alignment, so that we may all be assigned for Jesus and His kingdom. And all this will take place in the presence of the Lord, and in the company of like-minded believers with a common heartbeat.
Details can be found on our Facebook Page. Or you can register HERE.
2. AAA Seminars
Can’t pull away for so many days? Join us at two upcoming Awakened, Aligned, Assigned Seminars. They will be held at:
- Bedok Methodist Church on July 12th -13th and
- Bethesda Cathedral on 29th – 30th November.
More information can be found at Archippus Awakening website itself or sign up for UPDATES to get immediate notification from us. Want to read testimonies of those who have clarified their assignments from the Lord after the sessions? Read them HERE.
Related Posts
Say To Archippus For Mothers???
What is God Calling You To? Need An Alignment Check?
Are You Fulfilling Your Assignment?
Living a Purposeful Life?