As a Thief

The last sentence in the following  quote was the hardest to swallow for me:
"The Criers of Peace"

"Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant. Isa. 56:12.
The evil servant says in his heart, 'My lord delayeth his coming.' He does not say that Christ will not come. He does not scoff at the idea of His second coming. But in his heart and by his actions and words he declares that the Lord's coming is delayed. He banishes from the minds of others the conviction that the Lord is coming quickly. His influence leads men to presumptuous, careless delay. They are confirmed in their worldliness and stupor. Earthly passions, corrupt thoughts, take possession of the mind. The evil servant eats and drinks with the drunken, unites with the world in pleasure seeking. He smites his fellow servants, accusing and condemning those who are faithful to their Master. . . .
The advent of Christ will surprise the false teachers. They are saying, 'Peace and safety.' Like the priests and teachers before the fall of Jerusalem, they look for the church to enjoy earthly prosperity and glory. The signs of the times they interpret as foreshadowing this. But what saith the Word of Inspiration? 'Sudden destruction cometh upon them.' . . .
Men are putting afar off the coming of the Lord. They laugh at warnings. The proud boast is made, 'All things continue as they were from the beginning.' 'Tomorrow shall be as this day and much more abundant.' 2 Peter 3:4; Isa. 56:12. We will go deeper into pleasure loving. But Christ says, 'Behold, I come as a thief.' Rev. 16:15. At the very time when the world is asking in scorn, 'Where is the promise of his coming?' the signs are fulfilling. While they cry, 'Peace and safety,' sudden destruction is coming. When the scorner, the rejecter of truth, has become presumptuous; when the routine of work in the various money-making lines is carried on without regard to principle; when the student is eagerly seeking knowledge of everything but his Bible, Christ comes as a thief."
Maranatha - Page 145

Biding My Time

Where I am staying at right now is seriously less than a block away from an interstate. Maybe the distance of half a block away. Our apartment complex is the closest to the interstate. There is nothing between our building and this interstate, except for the road.
And I hate it. I despise the city. Everything about it. Instead of waking up to the sound of birds singing, I wake up to the sound of cars whizzing by.
And there's houses, churches, everywhere. I thought where I was staying at back in college was bad. But this is way worse. It's not the first time that I've lived in the city, but it's been atleast 3 years since I've spent this long in one, and I'd forgotten how awful it really is.
Even though I'm extremely grateful for the opportunity to do my practicum at Florida Hospital, I will be so relieved when I can go back to the smaller city. Even though it's still bad there, and I feel like I have no privacy, it's way better  than here.
I am so glad I was raised in the country. And I can't wait to move back someday. I long for the day where I can go for a walk and not hear a single car, and I can have my own garden, and sing without being heard,  breathe in air that smells fresh and clean, and have pets than can roam free.
People say that one gets use to crowded spaces and constant noise and activity, but I don't want to get use to it. Ever.
For now I will bide my time here, and get away to the state park with friends any chance I get like I did last weekend.
This afternoon at my favorite devotional site I found this quote. I thought it quite fitting to what I'm dealing with now.

"It was not God's purpose that His people should be crowded into cities, huddled together in terraces and tenements. In the beginning He placed our first parents in a garden amidst the beautiful sights and attractive sounds of nature, and these sights and sounds He desires men to rejoice in today. Light has been given me that the cities will be filled with confusion, violence, and crime, and that these things will increase till the end of this earth's history. It is time for our people to take their families from the cities into more retired localities, else many of the youth, and many also of those older in years, will be ensnared and taken by the enemy.
'Out of the cities; out of the cities!"--this is the message the Lord has been giving me.'"
Maranatha, pg142

4 years

I miss her. It's been four years.