Paul and Preparing for the Second Coming

When writing to the Thessalonians, Paul remarks about how they are anxiously awaiting the second coming. There were many people at the time who treated everyday as though it was the last day before the second coming. He counsels that although we should be spiritually aware that the second coming could come at any moment, especially when we least expect it, this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be preparing for the things of the world which are to come. Some people take the idea that the second coming is coming to an extreme where they refuse to gain an education and fiscally prepare for the things of the world. To me I almost think of this as the opposite between “eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die”. I almost think these people would be saying “sit, sit and keep sitting for tomorrow we die”. The purpose for us to come to this earth was so that we can be able to learn and grow from our experiences. The best way to get the most out of our experience here is to set goals. I remember when I was younger sitting in our family room recliner thinking to myself “Man, I can’t wait to…” listing them all off and thinking that life was so boring waiting for these things to happen. It was sitting there waiting for high school to come upon me and then college and eventually (I still hope) a career in veterinary medicine, I realized there was no reason that I had to sit around waiting for life to happen; I could make life happen now. Now, of course, I’m so busy that I almost wish I had time to sit around and be bored. I have trouble thinking that our Heavenly Father sent us here to earth to get our bodies and wait for Christ to come. It is our responsibility to not sit and wait to be prepared, but to be preparing ourselves for that day that it comes. Part of preparing ourselves is to take advantage of the opportunities placed before us in our earthly lives. I firmly believe that there are eternal principles that can be learned from all circumstances that will allow us to move closer to our Heavenly Father and more better prepared for the day that Christ will come. It also reminds me of the parable of the talents. There will be a day that we are accountable for our actions here on earth and how much we utilized our talents in an effort for a greater utility.