“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:3) Everything in life requires preparation. If we fail to prepare, we prepare to fail. Whether school, marriage, business or athletics, preparation is the groundwork for success.
Jesus told the disciples that He was returning to the Father to prepare a place for His children. At this moment, our Lord is preparing our place in heaven. Some of our loved ones have already gone to be with the Lord, and some of us will be making that journey soon. As we watch littles ones enter this world through the miracle of birth, we turn around and watch older ones leave this world for eternity. Jesus is just as real at our birth as He is at our death. Life is short. It seems like yesterday we were running through the neighborhoods or entering the first grade as we left our mother’s arms in front of the schoolhouse.
There is another preparation the Lord is doing with His children. He is carrying us through trials and joys, heartaches and victories. And why does life have such ups and downs? The Lord is preparing us for our eternal home while He is preparing our eternal home for us. This world has a way of hijacking our attention and talents and getting us off track. The Lord is working many things on many various levels to make sure that our hearts and minds are constantly rescued from being carried away by the cares of this life.
Preparation for success in life is difficult. While others play, those who reach their goal will go through the lonely hours of discipline, commitment and training. Like a football coach who takes us through blocking assignments over and over, we learn some of the most fundamental lessons in life through repetition. Then, when we face the high pressure of game situations, we are prepared because we have become familiar with the intensity of the moment. In the same way, the Lord takes us through the trials of life in order to ‘prepare us’ for life and for our eternal home.
Our experiences in life are preparing us for something bigger than just another day in this world. We are being prepared for life in the presence of God. The Lord is preparing us to see His throne and to behold His glory. There is an old hymn that says, “What a day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see.” The trials of life redirect our focus to look into the face of Christ and seek His will. They compel us to look past the dark clouds of pain and the lonely sword of suffering. They teach us to embrace God’s care for our soul.
Yes, Jesus is preparing us. He is preparing us for Himself, and He is…Preparing a Place!
