Jesus,

I know that Your word says to live is Christ and to die is gain. There are no words to describe how much I long to see Your face in the new heaven and the new Earth. How much I long to be where there is no more tears and no more pain. Where there is no partiality, no hurt, no brokenness. Where Your presence is overflowing and never ending. To die is truly gain.

But Jesus, please don't come for us today. I am not ready just yet. I hear Your church saying, "Lord, please come." But Jesus, please not yet. Please give me another day to show Your love. Jesus, there is so much hurt and so much pain. I know Your timing is perfect and just, but please not yet.

Please give me another day to show love to the soon-to-be mothers who feel as if they have no hope. Who feel like the only way out is to forget their child, Your child. Please let me show them there is love and forgiveness already. That there is power in Your name.

Jesus, please give me one more day to show that in Your eyes, there is no partiality. There is no skin color and there is no hate. That there doesn't have to be another day that a person dies because of their skin or their nationality.

Jesus, please not yet because there are still children and women sold on the street to be slaves every day. Now more than ever, and they don't know Your name. They don't know what it feels like to have the love of a man, a real man, that gave His life for her. They don't know grace.

Please not yet because there are thousands of children who die every day of hunger and preventable disease and don't know Your name. They don't know the love of a full tummy and a warm bed while Americans are living as the richest people to ever walk the Earth.

Jesus, not yet because there are men that are enslaved to their computer screens and women that aren't real. There are marriages ruined because of chains that only You can break. Relationships that cannot be mended without You.

Not yet because there are thousands of groups of people that still have NEVER heard Your name. Because there are churches that still haven't realized that it is time to stand up NOW because we don't know when You're coming back.

So Jesus, I'm asking You please not yet. To die is gain, yes, but I know that freedom that comes in Your name. I know the peace and the love that comes from Your friendship. So, Jesus, just please one more day. Please one more chance to live like You. To show Your love and Your kindness. There are still too many people, Jesus. Billions of people.

To live is Christ. And that means that while it's hard, while I cannot see Your face yet, while I am not home, I still have one more day to show Your love. Maybe tomorrow one more child will have freedom. Maybe tomorrow one more relationship will be mended. Maybe tomorrow one less life will be taken. Maybe there will be chains broken. Maybe there will be one more child to come home.

While I seek to finally be in Your presence forever, let me remember to live is Christ and there is nothing more important. So Jesus, please not yet.