By Alice
This morning, I made a “Jesus is Coming Back” fort under the kitchen table. I decorated it with glow-in-the-dark stars, stringy ribbons from my birthday balloon stash, and a cardboard telescope made from a paper towel roll and pure imagination. Mr. Fluffernutter stood guard with his ears up, watching for any royal cloud chariots in the sky.
Waiting can feel so long—like when you hide in the pantry for hide-and-seek but everyone forgets you… or when the cookies still need five more minutes. But Yaya says that waiting with hope is different. It’s not about clocks or calendars—it’s about trusting the Promise-Maker.
And guess what? Jesus made a really big promise.
He said He would come back. Not just in stories or memories, but in real-real, bigger-than-the-moon real. He told His friends—and us—that He’d return in a way that everybody could see. Not as a secret. Not quietly. Like a King with trumpets. Like a sunrise that sings. Like the moment you finally spot your favorite person after a long, long day.
I didn’t know Jesus made that promise until Ariel read it to me one night. She said, “Alice, Jesus will come back, just like He said.” And then she whispered, “It’s a promise sealed with heaven’s yes.” That made my heart do the glitter-jellybean bounce.
So this post? It’s all about that promise. The real one. The forever true one.
Let’s take a peek together.
⏳ What Does It Really Mean to Wait for Christ’s Return?
So here’s the scene: Ariel was reading the Bible with her flashlight under a blanket fort, and I was brushing Fluffernutter’s fur with a toothbrush (because royalty needs grooming), when she suddenly asked, “Why is Jesus taking so long to come back?”
I gasped. Not because she asked something wrong—oh no! It was one of those big, thinky, tummy-butterfly questions. The kind that tickles your heart and makes your brain go, “Wait, what if…?”
🐢 Slow Like a Turtle? Or Patient Like a Shepherd?
Yaya told us that Peter (you know, the one who walked on water and sometimes said stuff before thinking) wrote about this exact thing. He warned that some people—called scoffers—would say things like:
“Where is this ‘coming’ He promised?” —2 Peter 3:4
These doubters don’t understand God’s heart. They think He’s forgotten or ignoring the world. But Yaya said, “They don’t see that God’s waiting is actually loving. He’s not being slow—He’s being kind. He wants to give everyone a chance to come to Him.”
Whoa.
📏 God’s Clock Is Different
Daddy explained it like this: “God doesn’t use the same clocks we do. One day for Him can feel like a thousand years for us. His delay is really a doorway for more people to be saved.”
Ariel nodded slowly and whispered, “So… waiting is mercy time?”
“Yes,” Daddy said. “Every second He waits is full of grace.”
That made me feel squishy-inside with wonder. Like maybe every tick of the clock is actually a hug from God to someone who hasn’t heard the good news yet.
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise… He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” —2 Peter 3:9
🌱 Waiting Isn’t Wasting
So now I think maybe waiting for Christ’s return isn’t boring at all. It’s not a pause button—it’s a preparation dance! God’s waiting is a widening of His arms. A holy stretch of time where we get to:
💖 Share His love
🧼 Forgive others (even when they take your last cookie)
💌 Invite friends to know Him
🎨 Live with kindness, courage, and Crayola joy
Because He will come back. Promise-pinkie-finger guaranteed.
💭 Wonder Together
Can waiting be a gift instead of a burden?
Have you ever had to wait a long time for something good?
What can you do while waiting for Jesus that shows you’re ready?
🕰️ Trusting God’s Timing (Even When It Feels Like a Snail Parade)
Yaya once said that God’s time is not like our time. And honestly? That made my brain do a somersault.
Then she read this out loud while stirring her famous “Jesus loves you” stew:
“With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” —2 Peter 3:8
I dropped my spoon into the soup.
A thousand years?! That’s longer than a jellybean’s whole lifetime!
⏳ God’s Time Is Bigger (and Better)
We live in a world full of timers and to-do lists and microwave buttons that beep very loudly. But God? He isn’t in a rush. He doesn’t follow clocks. He lives in the Always and Forever, and His timing is perfectly planned, even when it feels slow to us.
Ariel blinked her big thinking eyes and asked, “So… does that mean God doesn’t use calendars?”
Daddy laughed gently and said, “Exactly. What feels slow to us is really just God doing His work behind the scenes. His plan takes into account everything, not just what we see.”
Yaya added, “Sometimes, what we call waiting… is actually preparing. Like when a seed is underground before it becomes a sunflower.”
That made me picture God planting promises like seeds—deep in the dirt of time—and then watering them with love until just the right moment comes.
Even when it feels like nothing’s happening, God is still moving. Still loving. Still working. 💛
🌈 From Hurry to Holy
Sometimes I want answers right now—like, “When will my prayer be answered?” or “How long until Jesus comes back?” But if I got everything fast, I might miss the miracles happening slowly.
Waiting with God is kind of like…
🎨 Letting a painting dry before adding the sparkles
🌱 Watching a garden grow, one tiny sprout at a time
🎁 Holding a gift and not opening it until the perfect day
God’s timing teaches me patience, trust, and how to enjoy today instead of worrying about tomorrow. Because guess what? God isn’t late. Ever.
💭 Wonder Together
What’s something you’re trusting God for right now?
Have you ever had to wait for something and then realized the wait made it better?
Can you think of a time when God’s “no” or “not yet” helped you grow in faith?
📣 Sharing the Gospel While We Wait (Like Urgent Joy-Mail!)
So guess what I learned in the middle of making jellybean necklaces and taping googly eyes on my stuffed animals?
God’s waiting isn’t just about patience—it’s a big, bright open-door invitation! Peter says:
“He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” —2 Peter 3:9
That means God isn’t being slow—He’s giving us extra time to tell everybody the good news. Yaya calls it a “Grace Countdown.” I call it Sparkle-Time-for-Sharing.
🐣 Tiny Seeds, Big Trees
When Ariel asked, “So, should we use this time to tell our friends about Jesus?” we all sort of paused like someone had just opened a treasure chest.
Daddy smiled like his heart had jellybeans in it and said, “Yes, sweetheart. Every time we talk about Jesus, we plant a seed of hope in someone’s heart.”
Like a mustard seed! Or a tiny acorn that turns into a giganto tree with swingy vines and nesty birds and shade for tired souls.
Even when we feel too little, or too shy, or too sparkly to be taken seriously, God uses our words to build His Kingdom.
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” —Mark 16:15
Even if your “world” is the sandbox or the snack line.
🌊 Make a Ripple of Jesus Joy
Daddy said something that made me think in spirals. “If one person hears about Jesus from you, and then they tell someone else, and they tell someone else… you’ve just started a ripple of faith.”
Like a kindness stone tossed into a pond that spreads and spreads and spreads.
That means…
🌟 One story shared = a heart opened
🌟 One prayer whispered = hope released
🌟 One kind act in Jesus’ name = a light turned on
So now, Fluffernutter and I are on mission. We drew “Good News Delivery Badges” and made gospel-grape popsicles for our neighbors. Because you never know which smile or story might lead someone closer to Jesus.
💬 Wonder Together
Have you ever seen your faith help someone else grow?
Who could you share the good news of Jesus with this week?
What’s a creative way you can show someone God’s love today?
🛎️ Living in Readiness (Even If We Don’t Know the Exact Time!)
Okay, so Peter says Jesus will come back “like a thief in the night.” And I went—WHAT? A thief?! Should I hide the jellybeans? But then Yaya explained:
“This just means we won’t know when Jesus will come back. So we should always be ready by living faithfully and keeping our hearts close to God.”
Whew! No need for bunny traps or banana alarms. 🐰🍌
It’s not scary—it’s like a surprise party, but for the whole world. And the guest of honor? Jesus. Our King. Our forever friend.
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” —Matthew 24:42
🧭 How Do We Really Get Ready?
Ariel asked the best question ever (she’s good at that):
“How can we be ready for Jesus to come back?”
Daddy said:
💖 “Follow God’s Word.”
🫶 “Love others every day.”
🙏 “Stay connected to God through prayer.”
📖 “Read your Bible like it’s your favorite adventure book.”
Then he added something I scribbled on my glitter chalkboard:
“Being ready means letting God change your heart, not just your schedule.”
So now I try to live like Jesus might come back mid-cookie. Which means I better be:
✨ Kind even when I want to sass.
✨ Quick to say sorry.
✨ Loud with love.
✨ Ready to hug, help, and hold onto hope.
🎁 Serving = Sparkle Readiness
Daddy also said that being ready isn’t about sitting still and watching the sky like a stargazing statue. It means doing stuff—serving others, showing kindness, and living like Jesus every single day.
So me and Fluffernutter made a “Readiness Checklist” (with stickers, obviously). It includes:
- Smile at the grumpiest face on the playground
- Help someone without being asked
- Pray for someone who’s having a blah day
- Write a love note to Jesus with crayons
- Forgive, even if someone popped your balloon
When we live this way, we’re not just waiting—we’re preparing with purpose. We become walking, wiggling love-lanterns for a world that really needs light.
💬 Wonder Together
Can you think of someone who needs your kindness this week?
What does “being ready for Jesus” look like in your everyday life?
What’s something you can do today that shows your heart belongs to Him?
🎀 How I Plan to Wait with Hope
By Alice, Commander of Hope Fort #7, Official Bunny Scribe
So after all that learning and giggling and snack-break thinking, I made a plan. Not a boring kind with clipboards and paperclips—a glitter plan. A bunny-approved, heart-shaped, sparkle-powered blueprint for how to wait with hope for Jesus!
Because waiting doesn’t mean sitting still—it means getting ready with purpose, love, and maybe a little bit of peanut butter.
🕰️ Step One: Trust God’s Timing (Even When It’s the Slooooow Kind)
Sometimes waiting for God’s plan feels like watching pudding firm up in the fridge… forever. But I’ll remember what Yaya said:
“God’s timing is perfect—even when it feels slow.”
So I’m going to trust that He knows what He’s doing. His plan for my life isn’t late. It’s like the best surprise ever, arriving at just the right moment—like cupcakes when you didn’t even know you were hungry. 🎂✨
📣 Step Two: Share the Gospel (Because Good News is for Sharing!)
I’m gonna tell my friends about Jesus. Not in a bossy way—more like, “Hey, wanna hear about the happiest story ever told?”
I’ll share my favorite Bible verse, maybe even decorate it with glitter stars. I’ll invite them to come learn with me, because:
“Go and make disciples of all nations.” —Matthew 28:19
Even if “all nations” starts with just the swing set and my neighbor’s cat.
Every time I share Jesus, I’m planting a little hope-seed. And who knows? Maybe it’ll grow into a jungle of joy and giggles and grace.
✨ Step Three: Live Faithfully (Even on Tuesdays)
I want to live like Jesus is holding my hand—even if I’m just tying my shoes or sharing the last cookie.
That means:
🙏 Praying every day (even when I feel wiggly)
📖 Reading my Bible (especially the parts with miracles and mustard seeds)
💖 Loving others big and bold—even when they’re grumpy
I’ll look for ways to shine His light by helping others, giving hugs, and saying, “You matter,” with my words and my jellybean stash.
Because waiting for Jesus doesn’t mean doing nothing. It means doing everything with love.
💭 Wonder Together
- What’s something you can do while waiting with hope?
- Who could you share your favorite Bible verse with this week?
- How can you show God’s love—even when no one’s watching?
🎨 Craft Time: Make a “Hope & Trust” Banner (With Extra Sparkles!)
Okay, grab your glue sticks, your biggest markers, and your boldest imagination—we’re making something beautiful to help us remember how to wait with hope!
Yaya says crafts are sticky prayers with scissors. I think she’s totally right. That’s why I’m making a Hope & Trust Banner—to remind me that even when I don’t see Jesus yet, I can still expect Him with all my heart.
This banner is like a holy hug for your wall. A splashy reminder that God’s promises are true, His timing is perfect, and His love? Never-ever-ever-ending.
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.” —Hebrews 10:23
✂️ What You’ll Need for Your Banner of Belief
- 🧻 Big paper, fabric, or even an old pillowcase
- ✏️ Markers, crayons, or paints (glitter glue optional but very encouraged)
- 🧵 String or ribbon to hang it somewhere extra special
🖍️ How to Make It Shine With Truth
Write Your Faith Words
Use your boldest handwriting to write words like:
Draw Holy Symbols
Add simple drawings that remind you of God’s promises:
- ⏰ A clock = God’s perfect timing
- 💖 A heart = His never-fail love
- 🌈 A rainbow = His faithful promises
- 🕊️ A dove = His peace and Spirit
- ✨ Stars = The light of Christ coming again
Make It Color-FULL
Use bright, joyful colors! Think “banana yellow of bravery” and “sky blue of peace.” Every color can mean something about God’s goodness.
Hang and Hug With Your Eyes
Tape it up near your bed, your prayer corner, or the kitchen where snack miracles happen. Let it remind you to: 🌟 Wait with hope
🌟 Live with love
🌟 Shine with trust
🌟 And talk about Jesus with everyone—even your goldfish
💬 Wonder Together
- What words would you put on your Hope & Trust banner?
- Which of God’s promises means the most to you right now?
- Can your banner start a conversation with someone who needs hope?
🙏 A Prayer for Trust and Faithfulness
(Whispered last night by me and Mr. Fluffernutter under our Hope Fort)
“Dear Jesus,
Thank You for promising to come back—like really-really actually coming back—and for having the most perfect timing (even if it doesn’t match my sticker chart).
When things feel confusing or take too long, help us trust You anyway. You see the whole story—even the chapters we don’t know yet. Fill us with Your love so big that it spills into our lunchboxes, our front yards, and our friendships.
Teach us how to live faithfully while we wait—like kindness superheroes, helping hands, and flashlight-prayers in the dark. Thank You for being patient with us, for always forgiving us, and for giving us one more day to be more like You.
Shine through us, Jesus. We want to be Your walking, wiggling, joy-sprinkling light.
Amen.” 🌈🐰✨
💡✨ Your Turn! Be a Bunny-Brave Truth Guarder!
How will you grow in grace this week?
Maybe you’ll…
🧵 Craft a Spiritual Growth Banner and hang it where your faith can flutter like a holy flag.
📖 Memorize a verse like 2 Peter 3:18:
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
👯♀️ Share a Bible story with someone who needs hope—maybe even hold a “Faith Picnic” with animal crackers and parables.
🌻 Encourage a friend who’s having a wobbly week. Remind them that God’s still growing them—even when it feels slow.
✨ Spiritual encouragement for children grows best in cozy corners and courage-filled conversations.
“Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” —Hebrews 10:24
Until next time:
Keep praying.
Keep loving.
And keep shining like a bunny beacon in the dark. 🌟
With jellybean joy,
Alice 🐰✨
