Shooter and I were together with our small group on Wednesday night, and after yesterday's post I remembered part of a conversation we had that evening. I think I have enough "God Fearin'" folks reading that perhaps someone will be strange enough to have had this same feeling.
So, when I was a kid I was constantly freaked out by the Rapture. I grew up pretty strict Southern Baptist and it was hammered into our head that we better not do anything that we wouldn't want to be caught doing when the Rapture came. I vivdly remember being told one time that you should never walk on a grave because if the Lord came back you'd be knocked over dead and wouldn't go to heaven (that was my YOUTH PASTOR that told me that?!!?!?!). I must have been in my early tweens...just old enough to start going to the youth camps and stuff...when I really started to freak out about it. I think I'd gone to a youth camp where the focus was on Revelation and the story of the Rapture and everything. After that, if I'd wake up in the morning and couldn't find anyone, my first thought was that the Rapture had come and I'd been left behind. My parents routinely would get up and then head off to do errands and not wake me up. I remember one time running all over the house yelling for them and not being able to find them. Finally I ran into the garage and found the car gone....huge sigh of relief because they couldn't have possibly gotten in the car to be Raptured.
Now that Shooter and I have been married for a while, we do joke pretty often about our Rapture fears. I am usually up before Shooter, on the days we get to sleep in, and he'll usually joke that he woke up and couldn't find me and thought I'd been RAPTURED!
In small group, the folks I was talking to about this started laughing because they've had the same kind of fears, or played jokes on siblings who had that fear. One of the guys said that he used to play the joke on his brother....but would actually leave his clothes laid out on his bed under the covers. Now that's pretty cruel! But funny....
One of these days I think I'll do that to Shooter....hehehehe....
Have any of you dealt with the Rapture fear?
7 comments:
I didn't start going to church until about 7 or 8 years ago, and didn't immediately learn of the Rapture, but oh my gosh, when I did? I turned to my husband and was all "What if you go and I don't get to?! What if we're driving and *poof* there YOU go and I've gotta grab the wheel?! What if...."
Every scenario, he assured me I'd be coming with him, but some days I think I, too, am going to wake up and wonder where everyone is at. And then I wonder what it says about me if I don't actually start wondering that until about an hour or so has past because I'm enjoying the peace and quiet?!
Yes, once. I got lost in a store when I was pretty young and couldn't find my mom. After some lo0oking and not finding her I got hysterical and started screaming "oh no! she's been RAPTURED!" She came running about two seconds after that. I don't believe in rapture anymore and my mom doesn't either. My parents don't even go to church anymore as a matter of fact.
I used to be terrified of it as a kid... I'm pretty sure we were raised very similar :) As I've grown up, I've calmed down some.
2.5 weeks!!
I have never had that fear....
until now, thank you.
;-) Beth
I remember being told that you should never do anything you wouldn't want Jesus to see. Which is funny, because it is not like He doesn't already know my heart.
I was never afraid of it, I embraced it. I can remember studying for a test and thinking "Oh, I hope the rapture comes before I take this test."
I also remember when Big Daddy and I were first married, poor and in college, and I would write a check being afraid it was going to bounce and I would think, "Lord, please come soon if this check won't clear." That is called rapture economics.
I looked forward to it, but I think that most of my friends felt the same way you did.
Scarlett, I love that, rapture economics!
Laura, I remember when I was kid I was going to the movies and my grandma who was a strict nazarene told me, if Jesus came back when I was in the movies he'd pass me by. I was catholic back then and just laughed at her. Now I am looking forward to the rapture. I hope it comes before I have to decide who to vote for later this year. I guess that's rapture politics!
rapture politics and rapture economics...now that's funny!
I grew up Episcipalian (and still can't spell it) so we didn't do the whole rapture thing..but we did give stuff up for lent and it wasn't until my twenties that I realized not everyone gave stuff up and I felt hoodwinked about that! I mean 40 days without Barbie dolls (that was my choice one year) that's hard!
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