Judgement Day IS coming.....just probably not tomorrow

We've all seen the billboards in these past few months. Now recently, the buzz about Judgement Day is all around the internet, facebook, and other media. They claim that Judgement Day is tomorrow (May 21st) so we better be ready! Harold Camping, the man behind this movement, claims that he has figured out some secret mathematical equation and got the Bible decoded to find this specific date in time for the end of the world and he has no doubt about it. But for those of us that read the Bible as the literary work that it is, not as some mathematical code, can see clearly from various Scriptures that only God knows the day and hour when Christ will return (Matt 25:36,44). But I'm not gonna write another blog about how and why this prediction is wrong. There are plenty of good blogs out there about that: see Time will Tell: An Open letter to Harold Camping and Will the World End on Saturday..Focus on the Family

This is a Blog about what how he is RIGHT. I do think he is right about one thing. Judgement Day IS coming...just probably not tomorrow. And we DO need to be ready for it. How do we get ready for it? I think it depends on what you believe.

There is HOPE if you are a Christian, that is if you believe that though you deserve to be separated from a Holy God because of your sin and unworthiness, but God displayed His mercy and kept His justice by sending Christ died to die in your place, and you are utterly dependent on Christ alone to save you from God's punishment and to let you have an intimate relationship with a Holy God. Judgement Day is not something to be fearful of for those with Faith in Christ.  When it is our turn to be judged, God will see our sins covered by the blood of Jesus, will find out name written in the Lambs book of life, and will find the seal of the Holy Spirit on our hearts.

So how do we as Christians Get Ready for Judgement Day? By looking forward to it with excitement,like a child with glowing excitement about Christmas though its only October. Romans 8:23 says that our Spirits GROAN inwardly as we EAGERLY await our redemption. It is our hope, it is what keeps us going in this hard life in the midst of this sinful world. Study up on the new heavens and new earth the is described all throughout the Bible. See the beauty, righteousness, and holiness that we will get to experience. And the best part is, we will be in the presence of God himself. We will finally get to meet, face to face, the One who loves us unfathomably, the One who created our very being, the One who has sustained us and given us His mighty strength throughout lives, the One who has prepared a place for us in the new heavens and new earth. He is coming to take us Home!

But for those who don't believe in Christ, who do they prepare for Judgement Day? There is nothing really they CAN do because Christ has already done everything for them. Like the Billboard above says, "Cry mightily unto God for His mercy." Throw yourself at the feet of the Cross of Christ, plead for your forgiveness, and declare your utter dependance on Him for salvation, your desire to live your life to honor Him because of the amazing gift He has given you. And when He does come back, He will know your name and take you Home.

One of my new favorite songs is all about the Hope of this Glorious Future where we will dwell with the Lord forever. Here is it:

The Worn Path of Motherhood

This past Sunday was Mother's Day and at church that morning they had a very sweet sermon honoring mothers and the life they bring to their children. They also had some sweet testimonies of some mothers and how God has used motherhood to bless their lives. After the service the kids passed out carnations to all the mothers and I got one!! Me!! I'm a mother! I get a carnation on Mother's Day! As we walked to the car this reality started to set in and tears started welling up in my eyes. Brodie gave me a puzzled look as he opened the car door for me and I just spurted out, "I'm a Mother!" and started blubbering all over the place. Crying, mixed with me laughing at myself for blubbering so much about a carnation!

Until then, I hadn't really seen myself as a mom, I just saw myself as pregnant. I knew I was a Mom and all, but not having to do any real motherly duties yet, the reality hadn't set in. But it is true! Little ol me, little ol Bri is a Mommy! Weird!

At the beginning of pregnancy,I had been a bit scared...no.. freaked out... about jumping into being a Mommy. Scared of pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding. Freaked out realizing my loss of "freedom" without children. Concerned that I would not find fulfillment in being a stay-at-home Mom. Worried about disciplining and losing my temper. Scared at the thought that as much as we may teach him about God, he may still rebel and refuse.  All of these fears and concerns that I'm sure many other women have had before me. But lately, the Lord has really been working on my heart to ease those fears and build my trust in Him. I know I am not on this path alone.

My favorite artist in the world and one of my favorite people, Dawn Baker, has helped me to see God's role in Motherhood through her art. She is a mother of three beautiful daughters and her art really reflects her experiences. In her blog describing her piece called "The Path Between the Trees" she describes her own walk down the path of motherhood:

"I wrestle with my life sometimes. Having three small children makes me so busy. I look at this path that I have gone on and sometimes see just to the next tree line. It's a worn path. One that many women have gone before me, this motherhood. Yet, there are times I just want to stop. Go back to what I know, the path behind me. This walking deeper and deeper into the woods makes me tired and afraid. That's when I remember that the deeper I go the more I see, the more I experience the more I have to trust God for my direction and help. I have to lean on His kindness to see me through. And if I open my eyes and really look, I get glimpses of such beauty. The way the branches hold their leaves, the wind in the trees, the smell of dark earth and river rocks. I get to be a part of the walk not just view it from a distance."

God has walked with many other women on this worn path and now I get to join the ranks of those other Moms. I have begun my own little study of mothers in the Bible. Starting with Eve and going through until the end of the Bible. Studying the ways in which God  blesses these women with children, the interactions of these mothers with their kids, the way they honored God in motherhood, and seeing the mistakes they made along the way. It has been a good study so far (I have only gotten as far as Rebekah, in Genesis!) and I love learning about Motherhood from these women of old. I am surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who have walked this path of motherhood who are cheering me on.

In another painting dedicated to her oldest daughter, Dawn describes a beautiful picture of how even though she had no idea how to do this thing called mothering, God took her by the hand and said "let's do this together, ok?" Knowing I am walking onto this path of motherhood with my Creator is what keeps me walking. Knowing I will experience the depths of His beauty more and more through this journey makes it all worth it. He is holding my hand as I take my first steps into motherhood. And He has given me a wonderful husband who is holding my other hand.