Life in Light of Heaven

Well the title really says it all I suppose, but where is the fun in that.  At different points in time over the past couple of years I have entertained fleeting thoughts in regards to Heaven and what sort of effect the reality of Heaven has on my life right now.  Fleeting is giving myself too much credit  probably - to say the least my life bears a limited reflection to the one Christ has welcomed us into.  Now, I am not indulging in self-loathing so don't write me off - hear me out - I think many of us neglect the reality of Heaven.  We acknowledge Heaven in a tucked away crevice of our minds, a place we reserve for things we hold to be true that have little to no bearing on our lives.  Think about it.  When was the last time you made a decision where your understanding of eternity bore weight on the decision making process.  Paul talks incessantly about Heaven because eternity provided the framework to define our lives and lense through which we were to view it. 

As modern people living in an overtly compartmentalized world, we think of our lives as being part of current time, and Heaven as being a second life, a restart in some ways and a completely new existence.  I wonder though, if eternity is truly eternity, then by definition all time exists on one contiuum.  Our lives, therefore exist within an eternal contiuum, and not separated from it - I don't live like this is the truth.  I live like the life I am in right now will one day be over and then I will stand before the throne of God and enter into Heaven based on the righteousness of Christ as a separate existence.  This life ends that life begins.  That doesn't sound like eternity to me that sounds like 2 different lives - and though I don't really believe I will live 2 separate lives, I live like I do.

I have been given full access to God through the precious work of Christ on my behalf, and yet  wonder where He is in my life, even catching myself lost in wonder at how amazing it will be to one day be with Him.  Why not now?  What is stopping me from having that intimacy with God right now?  The Thomas in me - the part of me that freely acknowledges Christ with my tongue, but by my actions lives in a way that denies His immediate and intimate presence in my life.  I am so short sighted.  I see life through my Amercanized bubble - being completely obsessed at times with my job, my life, my finances, my hopes and dreams - but my life is a vapor in the eternal spectrum.  If the reality of Heaven truly ruled my life, then I would actually be caught up in this beautiful tension.  I would hold my time on earth loosely, living freely, and while life would retain a sense of brevity, it would gain an eternal element, a seamlessness between our time on earth and the rest of our life in Heaven.

This may seem like a minor tweak, but that is only because words fail me in this moment.  The rejoining of our fragmented lives would give us the opportunity to be eternally-minded allowing us to more brightly reflect the character of Christ while growing ever closer to the heart of our Father.  I believe the implications go far beyond proselytizing, but rather extend into the core of our hearts and minds.  I would love to hear what you think about the impact of eternity on our lives.

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In the words of George Strait...

There is nothing quite like a George Strait song to put me in a transcendent mood.  He is the singer/songwriter of countless #1's in country music and he singlehandedly provided the juke box material needed to enjoy a game of Big Buck Hunter with Paul and Ty.  I can't hear a George Strait song and not think of my wife because even though George perfectly describes our relationship through his melodic tunes, Ang nearly convulses when she hear a tune of his struck up.  It is an unfortunate occurrence though because a song like, "Baby Blue" is very fitting for the last couple of days I have had with her in Denver.

For the past couple of days, Ang has been enjoying some much deserved time away in Denver with some great friends of hers just enjoying the sort of freedom that is scarce with an 11 month old and a husband who acts like one at times.  I could not be happier for her, and I have a snapshot etched in my heart that I will not soon forget, it was a glimpse into the heart of our sweet and loving God. 

Oftentimes, we refer to God in the form of masculine pronouns and most believers readily accept God as their Father.  However, people may consider you a nutcase if you were to refer to God in the feminine or to portray a view of God as Mother.  I think our views of God are really limiting at times as we utilize dichotomous thinking forcing an infinite God into finite categories.  Why is it difficult for us to see God as our Mother when we so readily accept him as our Father?  There is a fierce and unyielding nature inherent within a mothers' love.  A mother's love is in the same breath nurturing, protective, gentle and not to be trifled with.  Who would dare stand between a mama bear and her cub?  And what mom would not gladly put herself in harm's way to save her little one?  It is natural for me to see God as my Father but I need to work on seeing God in a maternal way as well because without that understanding of God I am missing out on an enormous element of the love God declares for me.

As I watched Ang step out of the car and prepare to fly out to Denver, I very clearly saw the depth of bond between mother and child as both her and Olivia said goodbye for a couple of days.  Tears were shed, hearts were laid bare, and the sense of separation left a void that would not quickly be filled.  It was one of the most glaring pictures of love God demonstrates towards us.  I wonder at how deep God's love runs, a love so rich that it would lead God out of heaven down to earth and ultimately to a cross  - all that we might be reconciled to God - that a way would be made for us to spend eternity with God never separated, never gone.  Void filled.

Romans 8:38-39
 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This verse describes the kind of love both a father and mother point to, but which neither can fully express on its completely on its own - the kind of love personified exclusively by a God who loves both maternally and paternally in one breath.

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Joy

As the famous Christmas song puts it, "Joy to the world, the Lord has come.  Let Earth receive her King."  Ang and I have been talking a lot about joy lately - seems to be a recurring theme for us and one for me that begun at our Christmas Eve service a couple of weeks ago.  Our pastor was talking about how the Enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, BUT Christ came to give us life and more abundantly.  I am amazed at how quickly I forget.  I am silly and so preoccupied with what new thing I need to know and figure out that sometimes I wish I just remembered the simple things - that Christ's purpose was to give me life - and you as well.  The kind of joy that I am considering this morning is born from choice not circumstances, the source stems from the great reservoir of our soul being constantly refreshed by the Holy Spirit and the outpouring of goodness that so defines life with Christ. 

The things I lack so restrict my line of sight to Christ that I often underestimate how much I have right now.  Perhaps now more than ever I find myself longing for the next thing but in an unhealthy way - I strive like a child to GET something (meaning, happiness, satisfaction, truth) instead of asking my Father and trusting He will provide.  I struggle and strive instead of resting and trusting and I am left exhausted, disgusted, and frustrated because the Lord's lack of apparent provision is really my own inability to get out of the way.  This is exactly where joy enters the equation for me.  Joy, firmly entrenched in the character of God, has the uncanny ability to sustain hope in the hearts of believers.  I say it must be entrenched in His character because I often connect joy to circumstance not character.  Circumstances shift and change - the character of God does not.  God has been pouring out his blessings on Ang and I over these past couple of months and I am re-learning to find my joy in His desire and ability to provide instead of the provision itself.  The blessing is not contained merely in the unexpected money that arrived - the fullness of the blessing is that God cares so intricately about our lives that He would choose to enter in and provide. 

The physical blessing (money in this case) meets our physical need, which is very real and important, but God's desire to enter in and provide reveals His great and merciful love, which speaks to deeper and even more critical questions...Am I loved?  Does God see me?  Will things ever turn around?  God's willingness to provide now convinces me He will choose to do so again and again and this fact brings me joy.  Joy seated in the character of God - my Jehovah Jireh as He is called in the Old Testament - my provider whose grace is sufficient for me.  Oh so sufficient!

Christmas always reminds me of one key truth...Emmanuel, "Christ with us."  Christ chose to come, to enter the world weak and defenseless as a small baby, in order to be with us.  Christmas is the time for us to remember that God, who could have completed His work anyway he pleases, decided it would please Him most to come and be with us.  That gives me great joy and hope both now and in the days ahead.

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