Living without Subtitles

Let’s face it, we all get a little lost at times and need signs, directions, or subtitles.

So, you can imagine that living in Okinawa, Japan can be very disorienting to a gal raised in western culture.  The Japanese have three alphabets. You read that correctly, three! 

So, what does a person do when you can’t read Japanese and the signs have no subtitles? Well, you can sit and cry because you’re utterly and completely lost.  Or you can look for someone who speaks your language.  Or you can attempt to venture out, watching for landmarks to give you directional awareness. 

Staying alert in a foreign country is a must! I watch where I’m going and leave ‘bread crumbs’ to find my way home.

I wonder if Jesus had this in mind when he gave his disciples warnings like “it will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes”.  How about, “you know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; how is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?”

There are signs all around us.  In order to interpret the present times, we need Jesus, plain and simple.  He interprets the signs for us.  He gives us directional awareness.  He instructs us to be alert and watchful as we travel from our unknowns to the knowns, from this earth to our eternal home. 

If you’re feeling lost today, adrift in your new residence, remember that Jesus was already there waiting for you.  He wants to be your guide.  Jesus cares about your feelings of “lost-ness” and says, “I am the way, the truth and the life”.  He is the way and He’ll show you the way. 

Any day now, He may be coming back to take us home. Whether it be the fulfillment of prophecy or the final moments of our time on earth, He says “be ready”.  Keep watching the signs of this present time and be about pleasing our Savior, Jesus.

No subtitles needed when Jesus shows us the way home. 

Preparations

Mark 14:12

      With the holidays just around the corner, there are so many preparations to be made. Decorations have to be put up. Food has to be purchased and prepared. Music has to be selected. We have to get in the mood. Everyone has to be invited and confirmed. Rooms have to be readied. Reservations have to be made. Attics have to be searched and lost decorations retrieved.

      When couples find out they are going to have a child, preparations must happen. The room has to be readied. When you get accepted into the college of your choice, you have to prepare. Going into the military, prepare. Vacation. Prepare. School. Lunch boxes, lunch money, homework, books, backpack, shoes, teeth, out the door. All of life is about preparation.

      So it isn’t surprising that Jesus and His disciples must prepare for the Passover Feast. The room has to be readied. The food has to be gathered. Everyone must know the place. This takes time and effort. There is no magic wand here. Jesus doesn’t do a miracle to get things ready. Instead, the disciples are anticipating doing it themselves.

      I like it when people think ahead. Planners can be our friends. I want someone who knows how to plan building the bridge I am going to cross in my car. I want the surgeon to have prepared. I want the amusement ride operator to have gone through their daily maintenance checks of the equipment before I step onto the ride. Preparation is a good thing.

      Notice something very subtle in the text. The disciples want to know where they are to go and get things ready so that Jesus can eat the Passover. Mark says ‘us’ and ‘you’ in the text. They haven’t even included themselves in the meal. They are concerned about where He is going to eat and the preparations for His meal. This is one of the rare times when the disciples don’t seem to be caught up in their own stuff. They are actually thinking about someone else for a change.

      As the season for celebration and remembering gets closer, and the many preparations take place, make sure you don’t forget the reason for the celebration. Don’t get so caught up in the turkey that you miss the thanksgiving. Don’t get stuck in the tape and ribbon that you miss the birth.

      And don’t miss the even bigger picture. Heaven is approaching. What are you doing to prepare? Are you keeping a clean slate with the LORD?