**sidenote: I wrote this a couple of weeks prior to finding the brain aneurysm
A few weeks ago, I was praying with a heavy heart. Distraught from grueling days on end of diseases inflicting pain on my family, seemingly much like we haven’t caught a break in a very, very long time. Between Jillian and myself, we have shared a great deal of crappy days. I was also praying about my Mom’s health and for Josh because he had ran fever off and on for a few weeks. As well as the loss and mourning my family has suffered. To top it off, an impending parole hearing for my brother’s murderer. Then of course covid, which has robbed so many and managed to put so much fear in the heart of man. Heck, even our puppy was running fever and diagnosed with a tick-borne disease as well as worms. I was just all around upset at all of the pain and suffering in the world.
Very broken spirited and full of pain, I was pouring my heart out to God as well as my eyes. I said “God, I’m just ready for all of this to be over. All of this pain and suffering here on earth. I’m just ready for us to come home.” I no more got the words out of my mouth and he said “My child, if you didn’t have all of these ailments and trials, you wouldn’t have anything to look forward to.” Wow. Just wow. He wasn’t exactly telling me anything I hadn’t known. I’ve always known that very statement but for God to remind me in the midst of my heartache and pain just awed me. At that very moment, he wrapped his arms around me and brought me comfort through his words. His ever so true words. All of the pain in this life that has brought me to my knees, it’s also the pain that keeps me looking forward to a much brighter eternity with no pain, no sorrow, no diseases, and no more death.
God never promised us an easy life on earth. No where in the Bible is it written that life would be grand and no problems. You see if we never had any problems or ailments, we wouldn’t direct our help to Him. And if we didn’t believe, we wouldn’t have the faith in knowing that one beautiful day in Heaven that He will wipe away ALL of our tears. ”He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” -Revelation 21:4
That promise though, it doesn’t stand for everyone. You have to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. God sent His only Son to die an excruciating death so that our sins would be washed away. All you have to do is believe and accept him. We don’t get to Heaven through good works, the price has already been paid. Being a good person or doing good deeds doesn’t count if you don’t accept Him. Once your heart truly understands God sending His Son to endure the beatings, lashings, and to bleed out on that cross, you begin to realize the depth of His love for us. It’s then that you want your life and love to reflect of that of Jesus Christ’s perfect and enduring love. Though we will never attain perfection, we can always strive to be better than we were and continue fighting against the sin in our life. We should reflect on ourselves everyday, asking ourselves how or what we could have done to have improved a situation. Change starts with a little bit of self inspection and change of perspective when we seek a Christ like perfection. And one sweet day, we will see what perfection truly looks like.
“Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.””
Revelation 21:1-8 NIV
