Last night around 9 PM the electricity went off with a loud jolt. There I sat in the dark in front of the televison holding the remote pointed at a dark screen. Immediately flashing through my mind were all of the things I should have been doing that might have prepared me more for this disaster, other than wasting my time watching TV. Who knew how long we would be without power? It could be several days! Since it was Saturday, I should have done some vacuuming. I should have cleaned the bathroom and I really needed to make bread. Nightly Scripture reading had been postponed until it was now too late. And after a day of shoveling snow and using the snowblower, a shower might have been nice, but it was not possible now. I would not go to bed smelling very sweetly. In these dark moments I also felt gratitude for some of the things I had done that day. I was so glad I had started the dishwasher and now all the dishes in the house were clean. I had just done two loads of laundry, so all the clothes in the house were clean.
I'm wondering if this is how I'll feel at the Second Coming. Will deeds left undone immediately parade through my mind, followed by sorrow and regret that the time is now past for any preparation. Hopefully I can learn from this little experience.
The lights came back on about three hours later and today I have another chance to take care of my duties, to make preparations, to clear my conscience so that when the lights go out next time, hopefully I'll be ready.
