“Mom, when is Jesus coming?” my daughter Adela asked one night while we were driving home. I was exhausted and thought I needed to give my young daughter a simple, age-appropriate answer. “The Bible gives us some signs that will happen before He comes,” I said while thinking about Matthew 24.
“Such as what, Mom?” Adela wanted to know.
“Well, we will have wars and natural disasters . . . like the war in Ukraine.”“What are natural disasters?” she asked.
“Remember the hurricane that Florida went through in September?” I started.
Needing to hear no more, Adela said, “I think Jesus is coming very soon!”
“Yes, He is!” I followed.
For the next week or so, Adela often said that Jesus was coming soon. However, as the excitement of being on furlough in America and being with her grandparents continued, her reminders became less frequent . . . until Hurricane Nicole arrived. As soon as Adela heard about it, she quickly reminded everyone that Jesus was coming soon.
Her faith has been so inspiring. For her, it was simple. We have seen signs, so He is coming! She is right. He is coming.
As adults, we get caught up in our lives. We even get busy doing God’s work, telling people about Jesus and helping them. But do we live like Jesus is returning soon? For many people, today is their last day, the day they need hope, a friend and a Savior to enter their lives. When we take our professed beliefs to heart, we will have an extra drive and focus on sharing the gospel with others.
My daughter’s faith in Christ’s soon return makes my husband and I look afresh at why we are missionaries, in turn, re-energizing us for the next phase of our work in Thailand. We look forward to capitalizing on our friendships there, particularly with those who love participating in our family worships, our crafts, and baking with the children and want to learn about our lifestyle. We miss the youth at the children’s home, our game nights, and taking them to church and the Adventurers club. We also continue praying about our plans for upcoming small groups at home and third space churches. Please pray we hear God’s voice as He leads us and that others hear His voice and choose to follow Him.
