2 Peter 3:10 – But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (KJV)

While sharing coffee and catching up with my friend, I shared with her that someone had broken into our family vehicles one night. Someone came between midnight and 3 AM, broke into our vehicles, ransacked the compartments, and stole from us. I leave my car unlocked all the time, even at times make sure all the doors are unlocked before I exit it to go into the house because it is convenient when I want to put something in the car later. When my husband went out to get in his truck to go to work that morning, he first noticed that the between-the-seats storage compartment door was open, then saw the mess of things thrown around. The GPS and a few random things were taken from my car but mostly just tissues and coupons tossed about. My husband’s GPS was left behind but some other things were stolen. I can’t even begin to describe how it made me feel. I can say that I was numb with disbelief and shock that this happened, but those words seem so inadequate. I was so secure and complacent in my ignorant actions. I thought I was okay because of our neighborhood. As I was pondering all of these feelings, the “what-ifs”, and the “why-this-times”, 2 Peter 3:10 came to mind. In our situation, a thief came quietly in the night and surprised us. In the situation Peter describes, the Lord will come with great noise but also with great surprise. We woke up to messy vehicles and a few missing items. On that day people will wake up to pure destruction. We thought we were okay because of the people living around us. On that day there will be people who thought they were okay because they were living like the people around them. They will be so secure and complacent in their ignorant actions. My feelings on the morning of the robbery were of shock and disbelief, but I can’t even imagine the shock, disbelief, and horror to awaken on that morning! Our day was a wake-up call for my husband and me of what we need to do. Lord, I pray that today will be the day that those who don’t know You will wake-up to their need. My husband and I were happy when some of our belongings were returned to us, but I know our joy can’t begin to compare to Your joy when a sinner comes to You because Luke 15:10 tells us that even the angels rejoice! Mark 13:32 tells us that even though we don’t know when You’re coming, we know that You are coming. Help us to help others be ready!