On Being Prepared

When the Apostles were embarking on their trip across the lake, did they think of the tempest ahead that would put their lives in jeopardy? What happened, however, was just this, and they nearly lost all hope for survival [Luke 8:22-23]. 

Such are the ways of our earthly life! We never know when and from whence might come the ruinous disaster. Either the air, or water, or fire, or wild beasts, or man, or our own home ─ in a word, anything around us can suddenly become an instrument of our demise. Hence a rule: at every moment of your life, be ready to face death and enter into its realm without fear. This minute you are alive, but who knows whether or not you will be alive the next minute? Attach yourself to this thought. Follow your normal course of life, yet never forget that you are just a step away from an entrance into the world from whence there is no return.

Forgetting about it will not keep you longer on earth, and ignoring this impending change will not make it less momentous. Commend your entire life into God’s hands and live it, hour by hour, keeping in mind that each of them might be the last one. As a result, you will see fewer futile amusements in your present life, and an immense, inconceivable joy in the future.