A while back our mail had a postcard in it. We have been getting oversized postcards in our mail for weeks and mostly I put them in the recycling paper. They are what seems to be desperately trying to persuade or convince me to support various people and ideas. These large pieces of mail are very irritating to me and a big waste of money. Once I received an extra-large one and it was printed on a stiff piece of plastic with a large picture of a woman—again trying to convince me of……? I wasn’t convinced and turned it into a cutting mat. I found some pleasure in my repurposing and making cut scars across the face. Eventually the scars became so numerous and deep that it got an appropriate end. But now—my new postcard had an interesting picture on it, was clearly addressed to us, and had a pleasant greeting that included a “See You Soon” message. What it lacked was a signature that would let me know who sent it and who might be coming to visit us—Soon! I was puzzled for a while and then took another look at the picture on the front. It gave me a clue! I could see that it had been purchased in a museum that I knew was in a state that we have visited frequently because we have traveled to this state and through it on our way to other places. Following my clues I reached out to my guess and sure enough, I guessed right. But I got no answer about what the “soon” meant! So, I was left with “I Know Not the Hour!” Recently the song “We Know Not the Hour” got my attention. And it sent me into thought about what we don’t know and what we do know. This song has always reminded me that I need to be ready for Jesus to come ’cause no one knows when it will be too late. I know that I am all too often negligent keeping this in mind. I know what I do, and have done, and what I haven’t made things right—with God and with others. When I was jotting down notes for this edition of Thoughts for this “Trying to See God Every day!”, inadvertently I wrote “We know the hour”! As I noticed what I had written I had to stop and think. Would that make me change what I am doing each day? I do know I don’t want to be a procrastinator! I don’t know but if I did know I still want to be ready and not have to rush around fixing things at the last minute!
This past week, my husband had received notice that he was scheduled for an in-our home visit by a visiting nurse practitioner sent and provided by his health insurance provider. We had the day and time that said between 8am and 12pm. Hmmmm! He was sure that it would be later on that morning when she arrived. I told him he better not sleep in and should have his breakfast early rather than later. He did take that into consideration but at 8am he received a call of impending arrival in 5 minutes. At that moment he still was eating/finishing the last few bites of his breakfast! And only then did he remember that the outdoor path to our front door was not cleared! In this case, he did know the hour but had done some procrastination on what he thought was the most important and was not ready! How like life this illustrates for us about what the song teaches us—“We know Not the Hour!”
1.We know not the hour of the Master’s appearing, Yet signs all foretell that the moment is nearing When He shall return—’tis a promise most cheering—But we know not the hour.
Refrain: He will come, let us watch and be ready; He will come, hallelujah! hallelujah! He will come in the clouds of His Father’s bright glory—But we know not the hour.
2. There’s light for the wise who are seeking salvation, there’s truth in the Book of
divine revelation—Each prophecy points to the great consummation—But we know not the hour.
3. We’ll watch and we’ll pray, with our lamps trimmed and burning, We’ll work and we’ll wait till the Master’s returning, We’ll sing and rejoice, every omen discerning—But we know not the hour.
We didn’t know the hour that the nurse was coming—she came on time at 8am. Just like the song, we did not know when she was coming until she was almost here. Jesus tells us when you see these things, I am almost here, not yet but soon. We should have done a better job of watching and being ready. For a while I have known I needed new glasses to help me see things more clearly. It was time to make an appointment for the exam. And then picking out new frames to go with my new lenses. I like to use a business that promises your new glasses will be ready in about an hour—but not guaranteed ready time. We decided to go shopping while we waited, for in this case we didn’t “know the minute”! I was sent a text message when my glasses were ready, but I didn’t see the text until much later. I kind of knew the hour, I was told when, I almost could have known the exact minute—and I was still late! What a message to us all.
Gardening and lawn care does not stop when the gardeners and lawn care people find that these duties have become extra hard when there are walking and mobility problems. Many of the things that should be done and even those that need to be done get postponed or even ignored because they are impossible to do. I don’t like to see neglect, but neither can I do what I can clearly see needs done. I have hope that someday things will change and that I can make things look pretty again. I was lucky to have inherited some beautiful groups of peonies and iris beds and a wildflower bed and some other treasured plants that I remember being established when I was just a child. But now because of my neglect, these flowers have suffered. I feel bad about this. Even so, there is still beauty that I enjoy. My husband has planted a beautiful large dark red flowering hibiscus. Every spring he watches to see if his special fuchsia has survived the winter. He doesn’t ever know when it will happen, until suddenly there it is! And it is a happy day for him. His precious beautiful flower has returned! Imagine our happiness when our Precious Savior returns to take us Home to Live with Him—forever! The beautiful home He is preparing for us will be our joy that we have been waiting for—but We Know Not the Hour of His returning!
One of the flowers that returns each summer are my morning glory vines. They are self-planted and grow and climb along the corner of our home near the outside water faucet. If you know anything about morning glories, you will realize that they love morning sun, and are very pretty as they bloom each morning. You have to enjoy them then, not procrastinate. If you do, you will miss their beauty. I remember that my father did not like them. To him, they were the same plant that he fought for many years in his fields as they were definitely a weed pest that he sought to eliminate—the dreaded bindweed. He was sure my morning glories would leave my glory corner and expand to his fields. They never have done that but at times I can understand his fear because around our home, their seeds have spread and we have to be diligent about keeping them controlled and that they remain only where we want them. At times it seems that they can grow nearly a foot a day and wind about and climb on and up things where we don’t want them to grow. Just over a week ago my husband grew frustrated with the wild growing habits of these plants. He ripped on the wayward plants that were taking over the faucet area and climbing up our hanging bird feeder post threatening to overwhelm it. He pulled and ripped on several of the now “weeds” and tossed them out into the yard where they could be mowed over to become mulch. Those morning glories did not give up. They were abused and cut off and thrown out. Still, we watched in amazement as for a whole week, they kept on giving. They bloomed during their cut off and thrown out state. They kept giving us joy as they laid there in the middle of our yard. Day after day, each morning they bloomed for 7 days out on the grass. They had been disposed of, no one was loving them, giving them attention, giving them survival water and food. They had no hope of living again. They did not seem to know they had been cut off and tossed out.
Sometimes we experience being cut off and tossed aside. We have choices. We can give up. We can just lay down and die. Or we can flourish as these cut down flowers did! Being cut down and discarded by someone usually causes deep shock, profound grief, and painful confusion. You feel shocked and stunned because the ending came without warning or a normal conversation. You, like me, might wonder what you did wrong, even though the other person’s behavior stems from their own emotional limits or toxic patterns. You, like me, may feel small, as if your value suddenly dropped because they walked away. You experience heavy sadness and a strong urge to fix things or reach out for closure. You long for things to go back to the “way they were.” The discard suddenness is so hard to understand. It is important to allow grief and let yourself feel sad. Remind yourself that your worth does not depend on someone’s approval or response. Remind yourself of your true value outside of what happened.
The phrase “we’ll see you soon” always carries hope, transforming temporary farewells into promises of a joyful reunion someday, perhaps into eternity. For those who love Jesus, parting ways is never final; it is merely a “see you soon”.
Earth is not the permanent home, but a temporary waiting room filled with anticipation for Christ’s return and the restoration of fellowship. When facing the grief of separation or loss, the promise of seeing loved ones again acts as an anchor for the soul.
The days of seeing our morning glories blooming in their cut-off state gives me hope that no matter what happens, we can still carry on each day, making life better for ourselves and for others. Looking forward to the horizon of eternity shifts focus away from current pain and onto the unchanging faithfulness of our God.
The older we get, the more our lives are marked by goodbyes and loss. It makes me increasingly glad that saying goodbye is but a “see you later,” for those who are followers of Jesus. It’s as Jesus said to his disciples before his death, “A little while, and
you will not see me again, and again a little while and you will see me.” John 16:17. We have hope that even when we feel cut down, the love of Jesus will let us bloom again. Jesus knew that “a little while” is a hard concept for us to understand humanly speaking. And that we would procrastinate getting ready. We don’t understand the importance of “just a little while” and even the word soon. That little while seems too long. “So also, you have sorrow now,” Jesus acknowledged, “but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” (John 16:22).
We have the hope that believers share together. He says, “Wherever you go, I’ll see you soon.” Whether cut down and separated in life or through death, this is the precious comfort available to every follower of Jesus Christ. He is coming soon!
I grew up in a road trip-taking family. Our summer fun often consisted of long road trips, traveling and camping across the country. I have many fond memories of those trips and the many hours I spent in the car with my family. Anyone who has ever taken a road trip with children knows the age-old question that is always asked: “Are we there yet?” To which most parents would reply, “Not yet. We will be there soon.” When I think of the “end times” or the second coming of Christ, I often ask myself as an adult the same question as a child on a road trip, “Are we there yet?” If we take one look around at our world and culture today, it is no surprise that we are experiencing what some would call signs of the end times. We live in a broken, hopeless world filled with war, famine, and disaster. We absolutely need a savior, and the second coming of Christ sometimes feels so very near. However, the Bible is certain that while we won’t know the day or the hour, we can be prepared. Mark 13:32-33 (ESV) says, “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.” The Bible is clear that we do not know when Christ will return. However, we can be prepared in the waiting. It is easy to go about our life and our day-to-day routine without living in the light of eternity. We must make the conscious decision to be alert and awake, prepared for Christ’s return to arrive, just as it tells us in the book of Mark. So, what does that mean for me to stay on guard, prepared for Christ’s return? Maybe that means witnessing to family and friends who do not yet know Jesus. Maybe that means devoting myself to prayer, reading my Bible every day, or even coming back to an intimate relationship with Jesus as my Lord and Savior. It is never too late to return to Christ, and the Bible tells us that today is the day of salvation. What a beautiful hope we have in that! 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, “…Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
You can still bloom when life rips you out of familiar soil and leaves you in a difficult place. Sudden change hurts deeply. You lose your safety and your comfort. Your roots feel exposed to the harsh air. You wonder why the Master Gardener allowed this pull.Being moved is not the end of your story. God sometimes relocates you to grow you larger. Tight spaces in the old pot or place restricted your potential. Bloom Anyway. Do not wait for the perfect environment to show grace. Draw strength from deep within your hidden source. Every morning reach your face toward the light of hope. Your unexpected beauty will surprise the people around you.
I want to Bloom No Matter What because Jesus IS coming soon!