33 1/2 Years

At the end of June, I turned 33 and a half.

I was sitting in a gospel meeting in Bakersfield when I first remember hearing about Jesus living for 33 and a half years on this earth and preaching the gospel himself for 3 and a half years before he was crucified.  And for about four years, the number 33 and a half came up a lot because there were certain things Ralph MacDonald preached about often.  And I always wondered what it would be like to consider Jesus' death and resurrection when I was his age.  But I was only about seven years old when I first thought these things, and I had a really LOOOOOOONG time to wait.  Or so I thought!

So ever since the end of June, I have been thinking about being Jesus' age when he finished his Father's work on this earth.

As a mother of young children, I don't feel like my work is finished here.  I don't feel ready to go home to God.  But it doesn't seem that Jesus felt the same about the work he was doing.

It doesn't seem that Jesus' work on earth tied him here.  He didn't ask for more time to complete it.  But he did take his job seriously and gave it his all.  Everything.  And he said that he had finished the work that God gave him to do.  I want to view my work the same way; love it, do my best at it, give it my all, and yet be ready to leave it, finished, when God says I am finished.  Jesus could have felt that his work was finished when every soul on earth had heard him preach or had been given a chance to know him or other benchmarks like that.  But he didn't do that, either.  And I need to remember the same: just give each day my all until God says I am finished.

I don't know much about these things, but I think maybe Jesus remembered Heaven and being there with God before he came to the earth.  And I can imagine in a weak way, how much he must have missed Heaven, especially trading it for several years on earth.  Probably Jesus missed being so close to his Father even more than Heaven itself.  The fellowship Jesus had with his Father here on earth might have been less close than the fellowship they had together before and after.  Maybe in some ways, God was merciful to Jesus in that Jesus didn't have to stay away from God for an entire lifetime.  I want to have that kind of focus: that I just want to get closer and closer to God.  I want approaching death to be much more joyful than sad when I think about it.

We heard this morning about not worrying about next week, but just worrying about today.  If I could do my best today to do the work God has given me, and give it everything I've got today, then I think that is how to be ready.