Advent / The Time is Short

The other day we had a tremendous snowfall, and I got to my yoga-class late.  Even though the roads were terrible, the instructor had locked the doors.  Here I stood.  I had braved the weather, had to put the truck in four-wheel drive and so on, and I could see the class, through the crack in the door, on its back having its "what's it called", some sort of breathing-relaxing-quite time, with no interruptions allowed.  I was peeved and knocked quietly.  Nothing.  I wasn't going to bang on the doors.  In the end I went home deflated and a little angry about the inflexibility of the situation especially in light of the piles of snow that had not been cleared, yet.  I suppose I should have known it would take me twice as long to get there.

It made me think of the virgins at the wedding banquet, whose lamps had gone out.  They were shut out of the wedding for lack of preparation at the prolonged waiting period.  A disappointment of cataclysmic proportions happened.  I just got a very small taste of it that day.  The Yoga instructors are very picky of their start times.  You must not interrupt the what's-it-called.

Similarly, now is the time to turn, to watch, to hurry, to get done what needs doing--a little adrenaline to get the move on.  The Lord is at hand.  Let your moderation be known unto all men.  Rejoice in the Lord.  The thing that needs doing, is really no thing that needs doing.  It is just a focusing on the Savior's work that is already done for us.  But we are easily distracted.  Clear the rubble, clean the glasses, get a better view, raise the valleys, make the paths straight, lift the gates... so the king may come in.  When the Son of Man comes will he find faith on the earth?