Fall is upon us and the days are getting shorter. Temperatures are cooling and the trees are starting to lose their leaves. We have less sunlight as the sun rises later each morning and sets earlier. This pattern will continue until Saturday, December 21st, which is the shortest day of the year!
As I was listening and reading along with Fr. Mike Schmitz “Bible in a Year,” I was captivated by one of the readings. The verse that hit me was Matthew 24: 22, “And if those days had not been shortened, no human being would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.”
Before I go further, Matthew 24: 36 states “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven nor the Son, but only the Father.” I am not predicting the day and hour of earth’s last day but ponder if we are nearing the end of time.
What does Jesus mean by this: “those days will be shortened”? Do we take that literally?
I tend to contemplate the mysteries of our Creator and seek his presence and guidance. I am blessed to be nearing my 6th decade of life. When I think back to when I was learning to crawl to my 30th birthday, time felt like it was standing still. During grade school, high school and my young adult years I seemed to be immortal; never thinking I would ever grow old. I was 31 in 1997 when my son Jake was born, and since then the years have seemed shorter with each rotation around the sun.
Could this be what Jesus was referring to in Matthew, “but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened”? Maybe, maybe not.
Our current culture and society continues to separate itself from God. The proof of our Godless culture is removing the Ten Commandments and prayer from public buildings and schools. How has this worked out for us? Does a more secular culture equal a more peaceful world? In the words of John Wayne, “Not hardly”.
Jesus is truth, so if we detach from the truth we are left with untruth (lies). Almost all information we receive today has been detached from Christ, including news from the entertainment industry (music, movies and shows), biased news outlets and of course, AI (artificial intelligence).
I believe that Christians need to unite and spread the message that most information that we receive from mainstream media and culture lacks truth. Our culture is trying to force us to think without God as our guide. If we don’t follow the trend, we are vilified. We need to intentionally seek the truth and stay alert for deception; the enemy’s ammunition.
To live SMOL (living as if we had Six Months or Less to Live) is to live each day with faith, courage, enthusiasm and gratitude. It is a daily challenge to discern truth and trust our Heavenly Father. Our world could end today or 1000 years from now. If we live SMOL, it doesn’t matter when Jesus returns because we live each day as if today is judgment day. We must remain awake with our 2000 years of truth and faith as your guide and NEVER compromise our values. This is another component to living SMOL. Jesus, I trust in you. #LiveSMOL.
