A Thief In the Night
Dad was very patriotic. So much so, that Mom had a flag engraved on the back of his headstone. At the end of our lane here in Arkansas, he fashioned a flag hanger from black walnut that had been milled by my father-in-law. A solar light keeps it illuminated at all times and I change it out regularly.
One morning a while back, I discovered that someone had come in the middle of the night and stolen the flag, hanger and all. I've never understood why anyone would take something that didn’t belong to them. This took some effort to remove as it can't be reached from the ground. The monetary value wasn’t much, but Dad had taken special care in making the custom piece, so it was sentimental to me.
Since we didn't have any black walnut, Rusty helped me make a new hanger from treated lumber that we stained dark to resemble the original. We then attached it in a manner that would be more difficult to remove, and I had a custom plaque made for the back side to hopefully discourage anyone from taking it again.
As I recently placed a new Stars and Stripes for the 4th of July, I thought of the morning that I discovered the missing flag and how I was caught off guard by the thief. I wished I had known ahead of time they were coming so that I could've been prepared by making it harder to remove or installing a camera to catch them in the act.
As we approach Independence Day, we should remember the sacrifices made by those that gave their lives for our freedom. Regardless of your political stance, one thing we should all agree on is that we're blessed to live where we do. More importantly, we should remember the sacrifice made for something much greater... our salvation. The Lord Jesus will return one day for those of us that have accepted the sacrifice He made for us. He gave His life so that we could one day live with Him in a place better than any country could ever think of being.
In Matthew, we're told that that no one will know the day or the hour of His return. Just as I was caught off guard by the thief that came in the night, many will find themselves in the same situation when Jesus comes for those who have called on Him as their Savior. Will you be ready?
But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. -Matthew 24:36
Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. -Matthew 24:42-44
For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. -1 Thessalonians 5:2
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