As a child of the 1960s I lived with the idea that the Soviet Union would be nuking us at any moment! We had "drop" drills, fire drills and movies about how to prepare our bomb shelter for the Nuclear Winter. Then of course there were the invasions of unknown enemies - The Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Invaders from Mars and the list goes on.
Marrying a military man didn't change my world view about the need for Preparedness. Living in South Dakota with missile silos, large exercises like Red Flag in Nevada and assignments to places with lots of planes, bombs and radar sites reinforced that the world is not safe. Most of my civilian friends had no understanding of "real world threats" and thought military life was for those who liked to play army.
Things have changed since September 11th. Most Americans will agree that we no longer live in a bubble of security. Now our lives include safety measures and preparedness drills for the unthinkable- those who want to kill us in the places that had once been safe.
In our lifetime we will try to prepare for many things. Most are good and helpful like financial planning, where we live, family size, personal goals etc.
Advent is a season of planning. Planning gift giving, family time+ food prep, church services just to name a few. Usually the lists are longer than the day!
Jesus reminds us how important it is to be prepared. He knows we cant always be physically safe from this world's dangers and tragedies. He asks us to trust Him always in these areas. His warnings are for our spiritual well being. Preparedness by holding His truth from the Word as the guard against the counterfeit teachings that continue to increase within the Church. He keeps ours souls safe but we must prepare our hearts for His coming.
Jesus said, " For many false Christs and prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the Elect -if that were possible. So be on guard; I have told you everything ahead of time" Matthew 24:24
