became a real place
Life isn't the same as it used to be.
It used to be that reality was the only thing true.
It used to be that we'd just laugh about everything, seriousness and pain wasn't something we knew.
Pointless worries filled our minds and confidence was all we needed.
It's not like that now.
Because Heaven became a real place.
I don't know, really, how to put a week of thoughts and feelings and things into simple words. I mean, my diary sits here, but how can I sift through all the pages?
My friends dad died last week.
We went to the funeral.
I never met her dad.
He was her best friend. She wrote him a letter.
They used to go to the river. They'd sit for hours, and talk about God.
It was so sudden. Seven weeks ago, nothing was wrong. Everything was alright.
He is in Heaven. He's not here anymore.
He is with God. Sitting with God. Laughing and smiling with God, talking to God. Face to face.
With God. In Paradise. For my whole life, that passage in the Bible has stood out to me, when Jesus is on the cross. On the cross for me. For you.
When the sinner -- who Jesus was on the cross for -- said to Jesus, "Remember me in your Kingdom."
And Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in Paradise."
The hardest thing in the world,
To wake up in the morning and know that nothing is like it was. That it won't be.
dear God, I pray for my friend. Her mum. her brother. their family.
Maybe the most important thing God's told me is what CS Lewis was trying to get me to hear in Mere Christianity.
"Fix your eyes not on what is seen but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal."
He lived with his eyes fixed on Heaven.
Psalm 84, "My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh cry out for the living God."
"If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next." CS Lewis, Mere Christianity
Last week, my great-grandmother died.
She was in so much pain.
And now she's dancing with Jesus.
She'll be with him for ever. And ever.
With Jesus. Face to face. Dancing. Laughing, picking flowers and knowing that in Heaven, to cherish is to simply breathe. Forever and always. Forever and always. Always. Forever. Never ending. With Jesus. In Heaven.
How unimaginable things become reality is the most impossible thing. The saddest.
But also the best. These people loved Jesus. And this is the most glorious uncomprehendable thing in the world... to go to Heaven.
God, You became one of us. To save us from being alive forever in hell; a living death. That's where we were going, because we disobey You.
You died... so that we can live.
We think we live now. But this life, this time, even the best time we ever lived... isn't even the tiniest shred of the joy in Heaven.
Jesus, thank You for caring about all of us so much that, even though we hated You, You died. For me. I can do nothing for You and You do everything for me. You went out of Your way to love us. You still do and always will.
I must do the same. I never do; I'm too afraid. But that is to love. In loving the oppressed, the poor, the lonely, the mistreated... I am loving You.
This worldly perspective doesn't do anymore. None of it.
"I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same." Mere Christianity, CS Lewis
and what i've decided to do, on this earth where, as psalm 119 says, I am a stranger,
It used to be that reality was the only thing true.
It used to be that we'd just laugh about everything, seriousness and pain wasn't something we knew.
Pointless worries filled our minds and confidence was all we needed.
It's not like that now.
Because Heaven became a real place.
I don't know, really, how to put a week of thoughts and feelings and things into simple words. I mean, my diary sits here, but how can I sift through all the pages?
My friends dad died last week.
We went to the funeral.
I never met her dad.
He was her best friend. She wrote him a letter.
They used to go to the river. They'd sit for hours, and talk about God.
It was so sudden. Seven weeks ago, nothing was wrong. Everything was alright.
He is in Heaven. He's not here anymore.
He is with God. Sitting with God. Laughing and smiling with God, talking to God. Face to face.
With God. In Paradise. For my whole life, that passage in the Bible has stood out to me, when Jesus is on the cross. On the cross for me. For you.
When the sinner -- who Jesus was on the cross for -- said to Jesus, "Remember me in your Kingdom."
And Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in Paradise."
The hardest thing in the world,
To wake up in the morning and know that nothing is like it was. That it won't be.
dear God, I pray for my friend. Her mum. her brother. their family.
Maybe the most important thing God's told me is what CS Lewis was trying to get me to hear in Mere Christianity.
"Fix your eyes not on what is seen but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal."
He lived with his eyes fixed on Heaven.
Psalm 84, "My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh cry out for the living God."
"If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next." CS Lewis, Mere Christianity
Last week, my great-grandmother died.
She was in so much pain.
And now she's dancing with Jesus.
She'll be with him for ever. And ever.
With Jesus. Face to face. Dancing. Laughing, picking flowers and knowing that in Heaven, to cherish is to simply breathe. Forever and always. Forever and always. Always. Forever. Never ending. With Jesus. In Heaven.
How unimaginable things become reality is the most impossible thing. The saddest.
But also the best. These people loved Jesus. And this is the most glorious uncomprehendable thing in the world... to go to Heaven.
God, You became one of us. To save us from being alive forever in hell; a living death. That's where we were going, because we disobey You.
You died... so that we can live.
We think we live now. But this life, this time, even the best time we ever lived... isn't even the tiniest shred of the joy in Heaven.
Jesus, thank You for caring about all of us so much that, even though we hated You, You died. For me. I can do nothing for You and You do everything for me. You went out of Your way to love us. You still do and always will.
I must do the same. I never do; I'm too afraid. But that is to love. In loving the oppressed, the poor, the lonely, the mistreated... I am loving You.
This worldly perspective doesn't do anymore. None of it.
"I must keep alive in myself the desire for my true country, which I shall not find till after death; I must never let it get snowed under or turned aside; I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others to do the same." Mere Christianity, CS Lewis
and what i've decided to do, on this earth where, as psalm 119 says, I am a stranger,
"be content to take second place."
so many things happen in this place. they hurt so much, and we'll maybe never understand why we have to go through it. but we can be there for eachother. God made Adam -- and then He made Eve, because He didn't want us to be alone.
while our everyday lives seem like everything... we need to know that they're not. that this world isn't forever. i know we don't, can't, are barely able -- to get it -- but Heaven is real. to give our life to Jesus is as if we were making some huge sacrifice; oh, but He made the sacrifice; He has given us life!
to accept this gift, this life, is to have eternal life. Jesus is God -- the God who made this world. it's the most astounding thing, i know. but it's true! it really is.
we don't know how long we have to live this life God's blessed us with. but we do know that Jesus loves us, and that when we die, we will spend eternity in Heaven. and maybe that thought scares you a little bit. but it's not. Jesus promised us that. because Heaven is the place where fear doesn't exist. where death is nowhere. where hatred and mistakes are not. Heaven is the place Jesus lives. Heaven is the place we will rejoice in and be forever. chocolate beds and rivers and the most beautiful and soft green grass and music and songs and cookies.
this life isn't everything. you know, maybe some of these words aren't really coming out right. but i pray that maybe God will open our eyes to His truth. His truth that we can't put into words. they're more than a feeling; more than a thought. i think that's what truth is. something that becomes everything, and there's not really any way to define it...
but to say,
... well,
Jesus is Lord.
"do not fear what they fear, do not be frightened; but in your hearts, set apart Christ as Lord. so i do not live the rest of my earthly life for evil human desire's, but rather for the will of God." 1 Peter 4:2
"we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. we have this hope as an anchor the the soul, firm and secure." Hebrews 6:18b-19
those are more than just words, you know.
they're Truth.
wow, thanks so much for that emii. truly inspirational
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