| “Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” | |
| —Acts 1:11 |
I must have had an undo fear of abandonment as a child. Certainly, I should have felt as secure as any little girl could possibly feel. Yet, I often had a difficult time with separation anxiety.
I can remember riding the school bus to my piano teacher’s house after school on Tuesdays for my lesson. My mom always picked me up at the teacher’s house after I finished. But, I can remember times when she got delayed, for one reason or another, and I had to stand in my teacher’s dining room and watch the road for her. Sometimes I thought she’d never come for me.
I also remember crying to my first grade teacher when she lined us up for the bus at the end of the day. “Would my mother remember to walk to the bus stop for me?” I blubbered. But, my mom always came.
Jesus assured His disciples of His eventual return. He never told them when, but we know from His promise that He will return in the clouds to get His faithful servants.
In John 14:1-2, Jesus promised:
“‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me.’”
Do you watch for Jesus as eagerly as a child waits for a parent? Maybe your parent never returned to you like my mom always did, and you have a very good reason to feel separation anxiety! Not so with your Heavenly Parent. What He says He will do.
We can be confident that Jesus will come back for us and that He has a beautiful place designed for us where we will dwell with Him for all eternity. He expects us not only to eagerly watch for Him, but to be ready.
As He told us in Luke 12:40:
“You must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
In the busyness of our lives, we need to remember to keep our eyes open for all that God wants to do in us and through us, while we watch for His final appearing. This we know for certain: He’ll be back!
