Heavenly Perspective

Happy Father's Day to my dad, Micah and Caleb's dad and all other dads!

And a very happy two months to Caleb.

Terry was sick yesterday so our Father's Day was pretty low-key. But two other fathers were on my mind all day.

James and Emily got to bring baby Annabel home from the hospital. I'm sure there is no better gift for any daddy than to have his three favorite girls all under one roof for Father's Day.

Last week our friends Jason and Monica let us know that friends of theirs lost their 2-year-old to a drowning accident. All day Sunday I was consumed with this poor family whose Father's Day came only one day after burying their little boy. The parents know Jesus and will, thankfully, get to experience the hope and peace that only our Father in Heaven can provide.

Having a child is a wonderful miracle from God. Losing a baby causes horrible pain only God himself can save us from. Thinking about these two polar opposites in occurrences made me think of Heaven and Hell. We experience highs and lows here on Earth that can leave us feeling elated or empty.

Heaven and Hell will be exaggerated versions of those emotions. Heaven means nearness to God which means we become whole, we become happy, we find peace. Hell is the absence of all things joyful because there is no God there. I find it so strange that most of us are able to walk this Earth avoiding any mention or thought of the afterlife. If we believe the Bible, and I do, Heaven and Hell are real places with very real eternities. How can I live my life without a fierce devotion to keeping as many people as I can from an eternity in Hell? How can I be blase enough about it to not share the Good News with every person I meet. Why do I find it so difficult to share the relationship I've found with Christ? Why do I allow the world's views to penetrate my own life instead of separating myself from indifference, immorality, and indecency? When will I truly understand how to be in the world but not of it?

Children and every gift they bring are wonderful examples of the pure joy we'll feel in Heaven someday. I just hope I'm able to keep that perspective the next time I encounter someone hurting from not knowing God. I can plant a seed that might bring someone to everlasting joy. I'll be working hard on making that a natural part of my everyday life from now on. What can you do to add to the body of Christ? There is no earthly father who compares to the redeeming glory of Christ Jesus.