The Cows Are Out
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This morning, after breakfast, I went to get dressed.
But I was so tired and the bed looked so inviting, I lay down and just talked with God. My husband, who was outside, called me. The neighbor said the cows were out (translation: outside their fence). So he was going down to unlock the gate at the other end of our property. They could herd the cows off the road there, and then they could return to their pasture through our place. Many years ago, we bought some land that originally had been part of a ranch, and after living near cattle, we know how to help get cows back inside the fence.
So I told myself, “Cows are out; better get dressed.” It was a warning; if the cattle are out, there is no way to know what might be coming next. I might be needed to help move them. The rancher might be knocking at the door. A cow might even show up in the yard, as the gate at the end of the driveway is not usually shut. I did not know what might be coming, but I knew it was not time to lie in bed in my nightgown, feeling tired. It was time to get dressed and be ready. What warning signs do you see that remind you to get ready for Jesus? And how do we get ready? Do we buy beans, bullets, and Band-Aids, according to “preppers” on the web? Do we sell everything and send our money to the mission field? Do we quit work and walk the streets of the city telling everyone, “Jesus is coming soon”? Do we examine every known sin and confess with weeping and mourning? For me, it means buying more when things are on sale to help feed others because there will probably be some hard times before we get to the exceedingly hard times. But mainly, it means to pray more—for me, my family, the believers who are currently persecuted, and the unsaved. It also means increasing my Bible study, increasing my memory work, and sharing the Word wherever possible. And it means I must get out of bed and get busy. What does “get ready” mean to you?
Summer Stahl
