... Until Heaven

I was talking with Brent the other day about some of the realities of my chronic illness and how it’s still just so hard for my mind to grasp that, barring a miracle, I won’t be completely healthy again… until heaven. As the sentence came out of my mouth, I felt this weird mixture of feelings come over me. Then I started thinking about how true this is of so many situations, and I believe it impacts all of us on some level at some stage in our lives.

Some of us won’t know complete healing… until heaven.

Some of us will be forced to deeply miss a loved one we’ve lost… until heaven.

Some of us will continue to struggle with a particular hang-up… until heaven.

Some of us will bear the heavy burden of heartache and brokenness… until heaven.

Some of us won’t know true freedom from an unfair set of circumstances… until heaven.

The list could go on. There are so many scenarios that play out throughout our time here on this planet. We live in a shattered place where I think we’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who is not impacted by some version of suffering and pain. The human race became disconnected from paradise the moment sin stepped foot on the scene. Thankfully, God loved us too much to leave us there, so he paved a path to eternal perfection with the unjustly spilled blood of his only Son. While we have this incredible hope of heaven’s glory, we will undoubtedly bear a certain kind of heaviness during this lifetime.

At first, I was saddened and discouraged by this thought. I will experience some level of illness until the moment I step into eternity. Viewed from a particular angle, that can be a hard pill to choke down. But, as I thought through it more, I realized that these kinds of burdens on earth are the very things that make me long for heaven. It gives me a reason to look forward to the day when I will walk through those glorious gates and see my Savior face to face. I think this is why God allows some really tough trials to happen during our lifetimes. It’s not because he’s hateful, cruel, or unjust. It’s because he loves us enough to slowly remove the sting of death by allowing us an ability to long for eternal life.

These challenges bring us hope, friends. They are the necessary gulps of water that hydrate us so that we may continue running with clear focus as we race toward the finish line of our journey. They grieve us now but provide us with a purpose as we long for things to come. You see, peace can be found in the presence of this pain. Some day bodies that were once deteriorating will gleefully dance on streets of gold, loved ones separated by death will be brought back together never to be apart from one another again, release from the bondage of sin will crush any stronghold we were ever held captive to, relationships that soured in our former life will we wrapped in the beauty of forgiveness and grace, and the endurance of prior situations of unthinkable persecution and despair will be rewarded with the voice of our Redeemer telling us ‘well done.’

Hold on to this life with a loose grip. It’s meant to serve as a training ground for our true permanent residence. Our existence will be sweeter on the other side as a result of all that we face in the name of Jesus. This world can offer such a spectrum of experiences, but it is not our home. I will cherish every breath that the Lord sees fit to give me even when my days seem impossible to endure, I will work hard to see the blessings in the burdens that weigh my spirit down to the lowest depths, I will pray that the Holy Spirit ignites my heart with love and service for others as I desire to spend my moments wisely, and I will do my best to endure each trial that comes my way with an attitude of mercy and a measure of borrowed strength. I will do these things because, while these hardships seem to last forever, I have the uplifting promise of knowing that they are temporary and will only feel this way… until heaven.