Reason #563
Aaron and I made it to the lake. Really, it looked more like an ocean, and it was surrounded by a forest. It was hauntingly beautiful, and for some reason, I felt really uneasy being there. The water went on for miles and miles, and the waves were rough. We set out on a trail that was over the lake, rather than around it. In fact, there was no way to actually enter the lake from land, there were just big retaining walls on the side. The walking trail was basically a bridge over the water, and as we continued to walk, the trail became narrow. I began to get even more nervous because there was nothing on the side of the trail to keep us from falling. We finally came to a point where I had to walk behind Aaron because the trail was only wide enough for one person. The walking trail came to an end and we stood looking a five pedestals that we had to jump on in order to keep going. Aaron decided to go first, he jumped on the first one, the second one, and as soon as he landed on the third one, the top of it slanted and he slid off. I screamed his name as he caught himself on the bottom of the pedestal. "Hang on, don't let go." I was panicked because I couldn't figure out how to get to him. I said, "Start swinging your body and maybe you can swing over to the wall." Hanging by his arms, he began swinging his body back and forth. He gained enough momentum to swing over to the wall. He grabbed on to a tree that was planted in a large pot, and the pot tipped over. I watched him fall hundreds of feet down into the water. I kept screaming for help, but no one seemed to hear me. I felt so helpless knowing there was really nothing I could do to save him at this point. And so I yelled to him, "Don't stop kicking. Keep swimming." The next thing I knew, I couldn't see him any longer and I realized at that moment I would never see him again.
My alarm went off and my eyes popped open. I looked over to see that Aaron was sound asleep next to me. I thanked the Lord that it was just a dream, and I rolled over and hugged him to reinforce the fact that he was still here.
As we read through Radical, we were faced with looking at our mortality. What do we think about death? How to we view it? Truth is, most of us see it as the end. The worst possible scenario, unless you're 100. And even then, I bet 100 year olds who are of sound mind and health wouldn't mind having a little more time to live. Because for the most part, life is really good. We get to do things we enjoy, be around people that we love, and no one is ever really ready to give that up. When we are faced with the thought of death, we often times think about what we wished we could do or would have done. And so we ask for just a little more time here. Just a little longer so we can enjoy this side of heaven.
But what if we viewed death as the ultimate reward? What if believers realized that death meant things were about to get even better? Because think about it. If we die, we never have to work again. We never have to sweat and stress and be exhausted. We never have to be hungry or cold or upset or sad. We never have to want or need again. We will only experience good things. The only place we will ever have to be and get to be is in the glorious presence of our Lord, worshipping Him. We will never be let down, we will never be sick, we will never face tough situations, and we will never be challenged. We'll never experience another bad thing, ever. It only gets better at the end.
And even though I know this is truth, even though I know Heaven is the place we want to be, it's hard to imagine not being here. It's hard to think not only of not living my own life, but of losing someone else I love a whole lot. It's hard for me to be okay with the thought of not getting to spend my days with them and having to keep on living without them. And my dream only confirmed that for me. Selfishly, I always tell Aaron that I will pass away before him, and I hope I do. Well, to make things fair, I hope we go at the same time. But I realize in life that we lose people we love. Some of them go home before us. And sometimes, we're okay with that because they got to live a long and full life. Sometimes, they didn't, and it doesn't seem fair. And truthfully, no matter when, where or how, we're never really ready to let go of them. But isn't it comforting knowing that when God's children are no longer walking on this earth, they are receiving their long awaited reward? Isn't it nice to know that they are truly, truly enjoying all of the good things He has stored up for us. Things too good for us to experience here. And the best part of it all is that we know that separation only lasts this lifetime, not forever.
And so I'll be honest, I want to stay here as long as I can. I also want the people I love to stay here with me the same amount of time. Because life truly is sweet, even though it has its bitter moments. But as sweet as the Lord's blessings and goodness are in the here and now, imagine what they'll be like when we are actually standing there with Him face to face. And so I praise Him that this isn't it. That there really is more to come. That eternity is going to be even better than the best days we have on earth. I praise Him that our loss is His addition. And that leaving this world only means were entering into His glorious presence for the rest of eternity.
#563 - Because death is not the end for His children, rather it's the beginning of their reward.
"So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you!"- Hebrews 10:35
My alarm went off and my eyes popped open. I looked over to see that Aaron was sound asleep next to me. I thanked the Lord that it was just a dream, and I rolled over and hugged him to reinforce the fact that he was still here.
As we read through Radical, we were faced with looking at our mortality. What do we think about death? How to we view it? Truth is, most of us see it as the end. The worst possible scenario, unless you're 100. And even then, I bet 100 year olds who are of sound mind and health wouldn't mind having a little more time to live. Because for the most part, life is really good. We get to do things we enjoy, be around people that we love, and no one is ever really ready to give that up. When we are faced with the thought of death, we often times think about what we wished we could do or would have done. And so we ask for just a little more time here. Just a little longer so we can enjoy this side of heaven.
But what if we viewed death as the ultimate reward? What if believers realized that death meant things were about to get even better? Because think about it. If we die, we never have to work again. We never have to sweat and stress and be exhausted. We never have to be hungry or cold or upset or sad. We never have to want or need again. We will only experience good things. The only place we will ever have to be and get to be is in the glorious presence of our Lord, worshipping Him. We will never be let down, we will never be sick, we will never face tough situations, and we will never be challenged. We'll never experience another bad thing, ever. It only gets better at the end.
And even though I know this is truth, even though I know Heaven is the place we want to be, it's hard to imagine not being here. It's hard to think not only of not living my own life, but of losing someone else I love a whole lot. It's hard for me to be okay with the thought of not getting to spend my days with them and having to keep on living without them. And my dream only confirmed that for me. Selfishly, I always tell Aaron that I will pass away before him, and I hope I do. Well, to make things fair, I hope we go at the same time. But I realize in life that we lose people we love. Some of them go home before us. And sometimes, we're okay with that because they got to live a long and full life. Sometimes, they didn't, and it doesn't seem fair. And truthfully, no matter when, where or how, we're never really ready to let go of them. But isn't it comforting knowing that when God's children are no longer walking on this earth, they are receiving their long awaited reward? Isn't it nice to know that they are truly, truly enjoying all of the good things He has stored up for us. Things too good for us to experience here. And the best part of it all is that we know that separation only lasts this lifetime, not forever.
And so I'll be honest, I want to stay here as long as I can. I also want the people I love to stay here with me the same amount of time. Because life truly is sweet, even though it has its bitter moments. But as sweet as the Lord's blessings and goodness are in the here and now, imagine what they'll be like when we are actually standing there with Him face to face. And so I praise Him that this isn't it. That there really is more to come. That eternity is going to be even better than the best days we have on earth. I praise Him that our loss is His addition. And that leaving this world only means were entering into His glorious presence for the rest of eternity.
#563 - Because death is not the end for His children, rather it's the beginning of their reward.
"So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you!"- Hebrews 10:35