A good friend of mine is losing her war with Pancreatic Cancer. She has been a dear friend of mine for 31 years, and it is nearly inconceivable to think of life going on as usual without her being part of it. But that's how life is. In spite of how we much we humans want to think of ourselves as strong, unstoppable and impervious to death and disaster, when we are quiet and honest with ourselves and look around ourselves, we know that we, too, will one day lose that battle and face the One who we have either loved and adored or run from our entire lives in denial of accountability that does no ultimate good.
For those who have recognized our true nature and surrendered our wills, humbling our hearts to His mercy, receiving grace at the foot of the cross of Jesus, there is no fear, because we know that death has no sting. For Jesus-lovers, there is only a change of location. The invisible veil that has kept our eyes from seeing the One we love and have followed is removed and we see Him face to face. There is a joyful expectation like that of a reunion with a close friend who lives far away and out of visual line of sight whom we are in contact with via text messages, emails and other modes. They are never far and always in our hearts though we may not see them in person. So it is with Jesus. While on this earth we have access to His heart at every moment of our lives, though not by sight. When that veil is removed, we get to be with Him in totality and permanence! The Apostle Paul spoke about our lives (in 2 Corinthians 5) as a groaning, our lives in these earthly "tents" as longing to be "clothed in our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life." (v. 4). He continues: "Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord. We live by faith and not by sight. We are confident, I say, and we prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord." (v. 6)
How many of us have this desire? I know from personal experience, my feelings sometimes waver on this. Mostly because I get so comfortable in this "tent." But as Christians, we are reminded repeatedly in Scripture that this world is NOT our home. I think that this is one of the areas that Satan deceives Christians the most. He keeps OUT of our minds the fact that we are meant to be eternal beings, and keeps us bogged down, instead, by the weights of this world. We forget - I know this is true for me too often - that our purpose is LARGER than this world. We get tunnel vision. I believe that this tactic of our enemy's has brought our world to the condition it is currently finding itself in. But when we turn our eyes back to Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, the First and the Last, Alpha and Omega, the Captain of our Souls and the Army of Heaven, who came down to SAVE all of us from lives of quiet desperation to permanent liberation - through the unlikely method of humbling ourselves and accepting who we are: sinners who cannot save ourselves and are deserving of death for our rebellious nature, yet ones who are eternally loved because of who our Savior is, not who we are. It is an incredible paradox: when we see the worst of ourselves, we put ourselves in a position to accept the best our Creator and Savior has to give us, which includes showing us what our lives are meant to be - for a purpose GREATER than our small selves, having eternal significance! Paul says (later in the same chapter, v. 18) that as we accept Christ, He gives us the ministry of reconciliation, as ambassadors of Christ to this sad and broken world. This IS the glorious purpose of the Church, of which we ARE the Body - and BRIDE - of Christ in this world.
This being the case, it almost makes the end of our lives seem like an end to our purpose and therefore a tragedy. But Paul recognized an important balance that keeps us humble and recognizing our humanity as well as our destiny, which is ultimate freedom. We are creatures, NOT the Creator. We have an incredible purpose, yet one day that purpose will be - not ended but translated. We will then begin a new work, for which we have been prepared if we were listening and obedient in this life of training. Our eternal rest doesn't mean we will be sitting on a cloud forever, strumming a harp. Jesus speaks of our faithfulness on THIS proving ground being a jumping off point for our REAL and TRUE vocation, which we will only get to know when we GET to that permanent home!
I don't know about you, but that fills my heart with excitement, along with reverent awe, not to waste a single day here but rather to live each one in a spirit of humility, attention to God's still, small voice of instruction and direction, worship and obedient faithfulness with excited expectation of being a partner with the One who knows and has planned everything in perfect wisdom and love. What about our past, wasted days? God knows that we are dust. And when we have trusted in Him and the name of His Son our Lord Jesus, His Word says that we are are "new creatures" (2 Cor. 5:17). He doesn't want us to waste our lives in regret and recriminations. That's what Satan would like us to do, to render us impotent and useless for God's glorious purpose for us. It's also part of the pride that was paramount to his own destruction. Because even thinking of ourselves as useless is putting our own selves in the forefront, rather than humbly accepting Christ's grace and mercy in our lives to help us in our time of need. Yet we are called to come boldly to the throne of grace for that very purpose (Hebrews 4:16), which takes away that prideful excuse.
In a way, my friend is blessed with a gift. She knows she has a finite time here to "wrap things us" and prepare for her glorious reunion, while most of us will have no idea - today might be ours. This could be my last post - only God knows! But if so, I hope that those who read it will also be reminded of your glorious future and live in expectation rather than fear of it.
