Preparation for the Second Coming

The last 2 weeks of institute were about the Second Coming. They were really good lessons and kinda scary too! It is so overwhelming sometimes. My teacher ended the class with these questions from Elder Oaks that have stuck with me and have really made me think.

"What if the day of His coming were tomorrow? If we knew that we would meet the Lord tomorrow—through our premature death or through His unexpected coming—what would we do today? What confessions would we make? What practices would we discontinue? What accounts would we settle? What forgivenesses would we extend? What testimonies would we bear?

If we would do those things then, why not now? Why not seek peace while peace can be obtained? If our lamps of preparation are drawn down, let us start immediately to replenish them."

As I have thought about these questions I think there are a lot of changes that I can do right now to be preparing for the Second Coming. The signs are all around us. We are here on this earth at this time for a reason. We were sent to prepare the world for our Saviors coming. It is our responsibility to teach those around us, especially our families the importance of this gospel. Now is not the time to be sitting on the fence trying to do some worldly things and then some good things too. We need to be stronger. If we are not doing those things we should we can repent. Repentance is not something to be scared of, it is a gift. It is a good thing to be preparing our temporal needs for the Second Coming but I think that our spiritual preparation is even more important.

"We need to make both temporal and spiritual preparation for the events prophesied at the time of the Second Coming. And the preparation most likely to be neglected is the one less visible and more difficult—the spiritual. A 72-hour kit of temporal supplies may prove valuable for earthly challenges, but, as the foolish virgins learned to their sorrow, a 24-hour kit of spiritual preparation is of greater and more enduring value."

When I think about preparing if we are not spiritually prepared then all the preparing we did for our temporal needs will probably be wasted because we might not be around to use that food storage we saved up.

I know that we have been specially selected to be here on earth now. This gives me peace and hope since this world is so wicked and sometimes it seems like we will never make it. I am grateful for repentance and that we can change and be better today than we were yesterday. I am grateful for the promise that if we are faithful and endure to the end we can return to be with our Father in Heaven.