Get Ready!

My Father in law called me on the phone. He said "Next month we are coming to stay with you, We'll be with you at lunch time on the 25th"
I put the phone down looked at my extremely messy house and thought to myself, I really must sort this messy place out, i'd be so ashamed if he could see it as it is.
Thinking is as far as I got. A month was plenty of time to get sorted and if i did manage to tidy up it would only be tidy for a day before it all went to pieces again.
The month became a fortnight and then a week and I thought I really must do something about the mess, but I didn't!
Five days before they came I thought very hard about sorting out and did a bit of the huge washing pile and then the next day I was invited by my mum to go shopping. It's fine I thought, there is plenty of time.
Three days to go and I went to help a friend paint her house.
Two days to go and I went to watch the sports day at school.
One day to go. I woke up and fully intended to get on with it, but a new consignement of Beads arrived and they looked far better than the tidying up! it's ok, I told myself you can tidy up tonight!...... well i could have except that I had forgotten about the parent evening.
Never mind, said the laid back me.... They aren't coming until lunch time.
The following morning I was up at 6am. Got the kids up, breakfasted and dressed and then sent them on their way. I began to tidy up the bedrooms. Folding, packing, dusting, shoving rubbish into bags. This is going really well I told myself as I piled the black bin bags onto the landing. There would be plenty of time to tidy up and then get a shower and get dressed. After all it was only half past eight and I was well on the way to having the bedrooms sorted.
Now for the down stairs with all the mess, last nights pots piled in the sink etc. (and believe me when i say my home is messy I mean it!)
I was just going to go down stairs to tackle the mess when I looked out of the window and saw to my horror my father in law and mother in law walking up the drive...... They were here and I wasn't ready.

To my shame and embarrassment that is a true story. Exactly as it happened several years ago. They'd wanted to squeeze a few extra hours with us so they'd left very early in the morning.

In the bible we read about a group of people who are not ready, even though they know the job they have to do. The story is that of the wise and foolish virgins (or bridesmaids).

Matthew 25
"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
"Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.'
" 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'
"But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.
"Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!'
"But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.'
"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Do not put off puting things right with God as we are reminded "Therefore keep watch as you do not know the day or the hour" of his return. And you don't want him coming and finding you in a mess!!!!!!!!