This morning, while walking past the Walla Walla University campus, I came upon a squirrel busily gathering acorns. It was so involved with the task, it didn’t notice me approaching until I was about 2 feet away. When it finally did see me, it frantically ran for the nearest tree, a precious acorn clenched in its teeth.
It’s easy to be like that squirrel, so caught up in our busy lives, scrambling to gather as much stuff as we can, we’re unaware of what’s happening around us. We can be so focused on the little things we lose sight of the big picture.
Jesus warned us about this. After telling His disciples about some of the things which would take place just before He came again, Jesus told them, “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap.” (Luke 21:34 NIV).
Now, most of us don’t have much of a problem with “carousing” and “drunkness”, but we all sometimes are “weighed down with…the anxieties of life”, and they can be just as distracting.
This week, don’t make that squirrel’s mistake. Don’t yourself be so distracted by “the anxieties of life” you lose sight of what’s really important – preparing for Christ’s soon return. Instead, “Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” (v. 36).
Jesus is coming soon, my friend. Don’t be like that squirrel. Keep watch!