Oct 16, 2023

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ has always seemed like a far distant, scary future that I hopefully wouldn’t have to deal with. However, in recent years I have learned not only about the need to be prepared for the Savior’s coming, but also about the hope and peace available to those who love God.

We’ve heard of and seen countless signs that His coming is closer. Wars, rumors of wars, a worldwide pandemic, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are just a few. In 2004, President Dallin H. Oaks pointed out that the “signs of the Second Coming are increasing in frequency and intensity,” and that was nearly twenty years ago.¹

I recently read part of a discourse by Wilford Woodruff that caused me to reflect on my own need to seriously prepare for Christ’s return to earth. He said, “When my mind, under the influence of the Spirit of God, is open to comprehend these things, I many times marvel and wonder, not only at the world but also at ourselves, that we are not more anxious and diligent in preparing ourselves and our families for the events now at our doors, for though the heavens and the earth pass away, not one jot or tittle of the word of the Lord will go unfulfilled.”²

Am I anxiously and diligently preparing for the signs and wonders yet to come? Am I making myself and my family ready to meet Him?

I am thankful for Paul’s reminder that we have the resources to enable us to watch and be prepared for what is coming. He said, “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober” (1 Thessalonians 5:5–6).

And finally, I am so thankful for the hope that we have in Christ: “God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him” (1 Thessalonians 5:9–10).

I hope that we will do as Wilford Woodruff counseled and be diligent in preparing for the future, and that we will always remember the promised blessings that God has in store for the righteous when Christ returns. 

Lyndie is working toward a degree in Public Relations at Brigham Young University. Originally from Idaho Falls, Idaho, she enjoys running, spending time with her husband and family, and reading. Lyndie served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hermosillo, Mexico, where she developed a love for the Spanish language and the people there. She was drawn to the Wilford Woodruff Papers out of a desire to learn more about Church history and enjoys being part of the organization’s efforts to touch lives with Wilford Woodruff’s words.