Matthew 24:44-46 “42 ‘Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. 43 But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44 For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.’”

Do you remember playing “Hide and Seek” as a child. Maybe you taught your children to play that game with their siblings or friends. I can still remember playing that in our yard in South Georgia. One of us would be picked to be “It,” and the rest would run and hide somewhere as “It” counted to 100. Then “It” would holler, “Ready or not, here I come.” My heart would be pounding from the excitement, hoping “It” would not find me.

Our children need to know that Jesus has already hollered “Ready or not, here I come.” We see right here in the Scriptures that He is coming “at an hour when you do not think He will.” Are your children ready? Are you ready?

We should not frighten our children with this news. That is not how God works. But we also should not hide the fact that He is coming. And when He comes, He will come to take all His children home to heaven. That is a good thing. He comes and tags us, not as “It,” but as “His.” Unlike the game of Hide and Seek, we WANT to be found by Him when He comes. We want to be carried home.

Point your children toward home. Prepare them to watch for His coming. Let them know that they are loved and cherished by a Heavenly Father who just wants them home for eternity. Ready or not, here He comes!