There’s an old expression: “Everyone wants to go to Heaven, but no one wants to go next Tuesday.”
This summarizes quite well the dilemma we human beings face. On the one hand, we truly want to spend eternity with the Lord in the paradise of Heaven. I mean, the alternative location where we could spend eternity is not very appealing. But on the other hand, we kind of enjoy life, at least most of the time, and we’re not all that crazy about experiencing death. So, we all want to go to Heaven, just not right away.
This summarizes quite well the dilemma we human beings face. On the one hand, we truly want to spend eternity with the Lord in the paradise of Heaven. I mean, the alternative location where we could spend eternity is not very appealing. But on the other hand, we kind of enjoy life, at least most of the time, and we’re not all that crazy about experiencing death. So, we all want to go to Heaven, just not right away.
Scripture tells us that in Heaven, we will be given glorified bodies. I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to my glorified body, especially since the one I have now is falling apart. No matter how great that glorified body sounds, I’d still rather not get it next week.
This dichotomy, this tension, with which we struggle is understandable. And it’s actually healthy. When we seek the eternal joy of being in Heaven, we are expressing trust in Our Creator. We are taking Him at His Word. When the Lord tells us that those who die in fellowship with Him will be brought into the Divine Kingdom for all eternity, we believe Him. When we look forward to Heaven, it is a sign of having faith and hope — two things that are absolutely critical.
When our longing for Heaven conflicts with our longing to stay alive here on earth, that’s a good thing. It’s a sign that we value life. It is true that in Christian theology, physical death is the gateway to eternal joy in Heaven (or somewhere else if we have no faith). But the Bible says that death was not part of God’s original plan for humanity. Death entered the world because of sin, and it is a corruption of God’s amazing creation. However, God used death to make something even better available to us. No matter how wonderful Heaven is, it is proper for us to value our natural life and to strive to live a long and fruitful life.
This dichotomy, this tension, with which we struggle is understandable. And it’s actually healthy. When we seek the eternal joy of being in Heaven, we are expressing trust in Our Creator. We are taking Him at His Word. When the Lord tells us that those who die in fellowship with Him will be brought into the Divine Kingdom for all eternity, we believe Him. When we look forward to Heaven, it is a sign of having faith and hope — two things that are absolutely critical.
When our longing for Heaven conflicts with our longing to stay alive here on earth, that’s a good thing. It’s a sign that we value life. It is true that in Christian theology, physical death is the gateway to eternal joy in Heaven (or somewhere else if we have no faith). But the Bible says that death was not part of God’s original plan for humanity. Death entered the world because of sin, and it is a corruption of God’s amazing creation. However, God used death to make something even better available to us. No matter how wonderful Heaven is, it is proper for us to value our natural life and to strive to live a long and fruitful life.
The two greatest commandments, as taught to us by Jesus, summarize this situation very well. The first commandment is to love the Lord our God with all of our heart and soul and mind. When we long for Heaven, we are demonstrating that we love God. Otherwise, why would we want to spend eternity in His presence worshiping Him?
The second greatest commandment, to love our neighbors as ourselves, shows that we cherish relationships with other people. Despite what some folks think nowadays, the reason we were put on this earth in the first place was not to get promoted to a corner office, or buy a Lamborghini, or vacation in the Bahamas. The reason God created us was to enter into loving relationships with God, first of all, and then with other people.
Those of us who want to go to Heaven, but cringe at the idea of going there next Tuesday, feel this way because we don’t want to be separated from the people we love. We trust God’s promise that we will be reunited with our loved ones in the next world, but for now it really hurts when a loved one dies and the close relationship is broken for a time — especially if we are the loved one who dies.
The second greatest commandment, to love our neighbors as ourselves, shows that we cherish relationships with other people. Despite what some folks think nowadays, the reason we were put on this earth in the first place was not to get promoted to a corner office, or buy a Lamborghini, or vacation in the Bahamas. The reason God created us was to enter into loving relationships with God, first of all, and then with other people.
Those of us who want to go to Heaven, but cringe at the idea of going there next Tuesday, feel this way because we don’t want to be separated from the people we love. We trust God’s promise that we will be reunited with our loved ones in the next world, but for now it really hurts when a loved one dies and the close relationship is broken for a time — especially if we are the loved one who dies.
So, it is perfectly understandable, perfectly natural, and perfectly right that we want to avoid going to Heaven for as long as possible. Wincing at the idea of dying next Tuesday is logical.
When we have faith in God and hope in His promises, it not only is our ticket to Heaven, it also makes our journey in this world much more peaceful and joyful. Two for the price of one!
And next Wednesday morning, we all can wake up and say, “Whew, not yet!”
" Despite what some folks think nowadays, the reason we were put on this earth in the first place was not to get promoted to a corner office, or buy a Lamborghini, or vacation in the Bahamas"
ReplyDeleteThis reflects the typical better than thou judgmental view of other people which is a common theme in this column.
Most people are not at all that shallow....and prioritize much more important things in life...such as close personal relationships......family.......all kinds of joyous pursuits and, yes, helping others.....not snarking about them--everybody is not living to buy a fancy car.
It is very easy to constantly put down other people and "explain" what they are not doing right. What is the writer of this column actually contributing to help out his fellow humans?
Ruth O'Keefe
And by the way what's wrong with a vacation in the Bahamas? Did the writer not just return from a Florida trip? Is it now selfishly superficial to take a vacation?
ReplyDeleteRuth O'Keefe