SURPRISE...or not

January 17, 2011 was my 22nd birthday.
Every year I always anticipate my birthday, still just as excited as I was when I was a little girl. Leading up to it, my friends would ask me "What are you going to do for the BIG day"? And...as usual, my answer is always I don't know. This year, however, I knew exactly what I was going to do for my birthday.

I have some pretty amazing friends in my life right now. So amazing...that some of them wanted to throw me and my twin sister, Kellie, a SURRISE birthday party. Now, I know what you are thinking, how was it a SURPRISE if you knew about it. Well, I accidentally found out that these friends were throwing me and my sister a party when I saw it on someone's phone through a text message. I was so mad at myself for seeing the message at first! I always ruin surprises for myself...nothing is ever a secret for me. I found out about this party on a Thursday, and my birthday was on the following Monday, so I knew all weekend that these friends were going to throw me a SURPRISE party. It was quite funny for people to ask me what I was doing for my birthday and seeing their reactions after asking...most people had a smirk on their face with the thought of "ha i tricked Kristen, I know something she doesn't know!" WELL...they were wrong! I knew exactly all the things that were going on behind my back leading up to my birthday surprise party. So, My birthday rolled around on the following Monday. All day that day I was nervous, anxious, and anticipating something amazing that was going to happen at the end of the day! Some of my friends kidnapped me and Kellie with blindfolds so that all of my other friends could get to my house for my surprise party (that I knew about...but did not tell anyone I knew). So long story short, we get to my house FINALLY...and after a whole weekend of waiting for my party that I was not supposed to know about....I walk in the door...and...SURPRISE! some of my closest friends were there to celebrate Kellie and I's birthday with us! Kellie had no idea and trust me it was really hard to keep it a secret from her. My heart was really joyful and happy even though I knew what was about to take place!

Here is where the "teachable moment" comes in...the Lord is so gracious in showing us things through everyday life!

I got to thinking that night about how Jesus throughout His Word promises that one day He will return to this earth and redeem His people. The second coming of the Lord is something that I think about often. There is hardly a day that goes by that I do not acknowledge it in my head or think about what it is going to be like. So, I got to thinking about my surprise party. I knew about this party for a good 4 days before it came to pass. In the same way, Jesus says that there are signs that are going to happen for us to discern when He will come or rather that His return is getting close. Scripture says that no one knows the time or season when He will come, but we can know when it is getting close.
                  

                        "Therefore stay awake--for you do not know when the master of the house will come,  in      the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning--lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake" -Mark 13:35-37 

        "But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand" - Mark 13:23

"Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night....But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness." -1 Thessalonians 5:1-2,4-5

(See also 2 Peter 3 & 2 Thessalonians 1..etc.)

Although I knew that this party was supposed to be a "suprise" it was not much of a "surprise" to me....or it did not catch me off guard when it finally came because I had time to prepare myself for what was to come (my reaction, my emotions, etc..) In the same way, Christ gives us signs for us to discern when the end is near, so that we are not caught off guard by His return, but rather, we are filled with joy!

"Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with hoy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls." -1 Peter 1:8-9 

"Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." -1 Peter 1:13

"But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace." -2 Peter 3:13-14

(see also Revelation 1)

The flip side to this story is the way that my sister, Kellie, might have perceived it. She had no clue what was going on for her birthday or that there was any surprise party planned at all. When our friends came and kidnapped us, she just went with it and did not think anything of it, until they un-did our blindfolds and our friends yelled SURPRISE!! and she was surprised and astonished. The Bible says that the coming of the Lord will be like a thief in the night. I pray that we as believers will not wait to seek the Lord until it is to late. Let's not wait until tomorrow to do the things that we can do today! We would be foolish to live life naive and think that He won't return. I pray that we won't be foolish in our thinking about this concept.

In conclusion, my prayer for this blog is that we will not be caught off guard by the coming of the Lord (whenever that will be), but we will DAILY strive to live for him as if He were to come today.
I was anticipating my surprise party before it even came to pass and was longing for Monday to come so that I could celebrate the greatest day of the year with my closest friends. In the same way, I pray that we learn to anticipate the Lord's coming and that we will anticipate His return with joy and perseverance knowing that with that comes our redemption, final salvation, and that we may be filled with JOY and not regret.