Hope

Mindful of Heaven

My pastor is fond of sharing a quotation by CS Lewis regarding how some people feel that Christians are so heavenly-minded that they won’t do any Earthly good. CS Lewis retorted that it was only when we are heavenly minded that we do any Earthly good. Thoughts of heaven are like the scoreboard at the football game. It reminds us of our ultimate satisfaction and encourages us to strive for victory. Heaven can seem to have little to do with Earth until we remember that the whole purpose of this life is to prepare us for the next.

Thoughts of heaven serve another purpose too. They remind us of what we are giving up when we walk contrary to what God desires. If every good and perfect gift is from above (see James 1) than everything that we are made for, everything our heart seeks, is to be found in heaven. Poor substitutes are found here on Earth and yet sometimes we settle for the also-runs. Thoughts of heaven remind us of what we are actually giving up in order to take advantage of those temporary pleasures. As Frederick Ward Kates reminds us, “The purpose of religion–at any rate, the Christian religion–is not to get you into heaven, but to get heaven into you.” Our walk of faith is designed so that more and more we seek the same things that God desires so that we are better prepared for the fullness of satisfaction that comes when we finally join Him.

A song that we use to sing as Sunday Schoolers sums it up nicely:

Heaven is a wonderful place
Full of mercy and grace
I want to see my Savior’s face
And heaven is a wonderful place
I want to go there.

Lord, let it be.

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Hope

A Matter of Perspective

We all have heard stories of heroes. Oftentimes what defines a hero is that they continue on in face of unimaginable circumstances. If we’re blessed we know someone who not only perseveres in horrible circumstances, but who looks at them as opportunities to be grown by Christ. This is not merely an acceptance of a tough time; this is someone who recognizes that while the mountaintops are nice, the valleys are what define us. They realize that they can’t ever really experience the Father of Lights unless they’ve held His hand in the darkness. Just as trials show you who your friends are, they also reveal your faith. The fire burns; what is genuine remains.

Kierkegaard suggested that every circumstance, whether good or bad, was a gift from God. The good times are reminders of God’s bountiful blessings. the bad times are a reminder of His faithfulness. Each type of circumstance reveals something about who God is, and who were are in Christ, that may never be demonstrated otherwise. It is easy to see the good times as beneficial because they are by definition “good”. If we could view the hard times in the same way, it would probably change our perspective on both.

“O Lord, let thyself be found with a good gift to everyone who needs it, that the happy may find courage to accept thy good gifts, that the sorrowful may find courage to accept thy perfect gifts. For to men there is a difference of joy and of sorrow, but for thee, O Lord, there is no difference in these things; everything that comes from thee is a good and perfect gift.”
… Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)

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