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Facing the Future

             so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:28)

How do you feel about the return of Christ? I’m a little ambivalent, partly because we don’t know the date and partly because I know some folks interpret Revelation differently. Sometimes, I’m sure they’re wrong, but there are other times when I’m not entirely sure I’m right. Another reason is that I’ve heard people talk who are a little over-the-top about it. They’re so focused on someday that “someday” is their only response to everything. But perhaps it’d be more honest for me to say that the main reason I have some doubts about Christ’s return is because, while I know His return is going to happen, I believe that now is going to continue on forever. I believe that, despite my own experience showing otherwise, it’s not true.

When I say I believe “now is going to continue on forever,” I don’t mean that I’d argue with you that it will. I mean it’s the concept that informs my life and my behavior even though, if you challenged me about it, I’d agree with you it’s a lie. My life has undergone significant changes over the past nine months, but life goes on. I get up in the morning, do whatever it is I have to do that day, and go to bed at night. I don’t actively expect everything to drastically change, even though I know it could. I suspect I'm not alone.

I’ve started reading a book that talks about living with gratitude toward the past and expectation for the future, with life as a journey. I can’t say it’s revolutionized my thinking, but I’m open for it to do so. You’ll probably hear more about it.

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