Do you ever just think about forever? The immensity can feel overwhelming and even lonely in a way. We cannot really understand it. There are too many unknowns. Honestly, eternity scares me, the depth and pressure of it all leaves me befuddled anytime that it crosses my mind. Thinking about the importance of life here in relation to eternity is where my brain decides to sit and soak in thought, at times.
My mind gravitates toward concrete ideas most days and the tangible aspects of eternity in relation to my own life can sometimes leave my mind grasping for nothing. As I look at Christianity and my own faith, I wonder about how lightly we choose to take the idea of spending “our eternity” somewhere. In the Christian tradition, the majority of discussion regarding eternity is spent delving into heaven and hell. Everything we do or do not do, choose or do not choose leads up to where we spend eternity. Ultimately, that is what matters. Eternal peace and goodness hinges upon our ability to accept grace in our own life and distribute that grace by being vessels for God.
Why not so serious?
American Christianity, in my eyes, struggles to grasp the idea of heaven coming to earth. Are these not the very words of our Savior’s prayer that he taught the disciples? This is the prayer that we are to model our prayers after, but we should not stop at just modeling our prayers after it. We must learn to let the grace of God help us model our lives after it.
Our Father in heaven,
Your name be honored as holy.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not bring us into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.
I think we miss the idea of eternity coming to us. Life speeds up. Our worry is placed in areas of our lives that do not truly matter. I think we do this to cope with the unknowns of eternity. Anytime something small creeps in, we rush to thinking that we are okay or recognize the wrongs in our life only to fall into those same pits that have tormented our mind, body, and soul for so long. I think we cycle through this continually because Christianity is not always tangible. Also, I think that we look at heaven wrong in our culture. We focus on the things of heaven more than the one providing them. I think heaven is meant to happen a lot on earth, as God’s presence is made known throughout the nations. Then the fullness of heaven occurs when we are in the entirety of God.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. (Revelation 21:4)
Ultimately, the beauty of heaven is found only by the wholeness of God, His glory. We may only become whole by His wholeness. We find this in our embrace of the cross and the work that was completed on that Friday. I think a lot of what heaven is about occurred on that Friday when Christ gave His life for you and me. God’s glory through His Spirit was unleashed upon humanity when the veil was torn and we got our own “little piece of heaven” in that moment. I think bringing heaven to earth is dying to ourselves and learning to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us on the path to becoming whole again. Heaven is just the destination where we experience the fullness of God, and what a destination that will be.
I think this is why communion is so important, at least it seems to keep gaining importance in my own life. It is a reminder of the destination. It reminds us that in midst of the hurt and torment that we face in this world, Christ won. When something creeps in, we can go to the table and be reminded that Christ has prepared the Father’s heart through His death on the cross. It reminds us that our destination is to be made whole in the sight of our Father.
I just feel like we talk about the things of heaven like the pearly gates and the streets of gold, while in the process leaving out the only true reason for a heaven. Heaven is about God and not really about those other things. They would not be there if it was not for Him. They are only a sign of His reign over the cosmos, a symbol of His power. Heaven is more of a realization that we can not accomplish the perfection that was asked of us. It is about what happened on the ironically named “Good Friday,” when God provided a way for us to be made whole once again. Heaven is a homecoming where we experience life as it should be, dwelling in the fullness of God while in perfect communion with Him.