Well, this year is almost exactly half over. It will not be that long before we see 2013 in the rearview mirror.  
How does that happen? Life now seems to go be so quickly. There are those times when I simply wish that I could put on the brakes, if not to stop then at least to slow things down.
Not long ago, I was speaking with a group of young adults. In the midst of our conversation, the name Ronald Reagan was mentioned. I shared the story of where I was when I heard about the assassination attempt on his life. I was in the mall in Rome, Georgia. I had taken my contact lenses to be polished. I saw a crowd gathered in front of a television, and that is where it unfolded before my eyes.  
Can you imagine how I felt when one of those adults said, “Yeah, I read about that in history class?” History class! I was there. And they are studying about it in history class?
At first, I thought he was joking. And then the internal calculator began to turn, and I realized that the one who said that probably was born the year when this took place. Once again I ask, “How did that happen?”
The Bible tells us in James 4:14, “For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” This verse is found in context in a place where the letter writer is trying to remind his readers that they should be careful not to boast about tomorrow and what they will do then. He wants them to remember that life is fleeting and that we have no promise of tomorrow.  
That is one of the most sobering ideas that we can consider. Life does not go on forever, at least not the life that we know and experience every day. But God has provided for our future. Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you…and if I go…I will come again and receive you to myself.” What a marvelous promise.
David said much the same thing when he closed Psalm 23 with, “And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” But the Bible makes clear that we must make preparation to enjoy this place the Lord is preparing.
We must choose to trust in him. I am often surprised when life flies by so quickly. I try to prepare for the things that are happening. I am not always successful in doing so. But I am ready for the Lord to come back and take me home when he chooses.
I hope you are, too. It’s the most important thing that you can ever do in life.
I pray that you will be ready.