“But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.” Matthew 25:4
One item I appreciated when we were traveling Europe was a portable battery pack for my phone. It made the top essential item list when we were packing for the trip. I have had my phone for some years and now the battery life on the phone is pretty bad. Most of the time, the battery life doesn’t bother me as I am mostly in a building and I can charge it anytime I want, and I can charge the phone when I am driving.
However, that was not the case when we were on the tour. I knew that the phone would not last the morning if I were to take multiple pictures and sometimes I would have to use maps to navigate around (this happened when our return flight got canceled and Hyemi and I were on our own). What got me through was the portable battery pack. Once fully charged overnight, I was able to power my phone to its fullest percentage twice. This was more than enough for me that I would even let other pastors use my battery pack because they would run out of battery as well. Each evening when we arrive at our hotel, I would ensure to hook up the battery pack to be prepared for the following day.
The parable of the wise and foolish virgins in Matthew 25 teaches us a valuable lesson that we must be prepared for the groom. A fully charged phone is just not enough. You must have an extra power source ready in case of a delay, as was seen in the parable. I pray that we can stay prepared and ready for Jesus, especially in times like today.