Jesus could endure anything because he knew where he was heading, says Sheila Walsh. She explains how the promise of heaven gives us unshakable peace for today, and outrageous hope for tomorrow
As a little girl, I remember sitting on the beach beside my mum one day. It was an unusually warm spring day for Scotland. There was no wind, and the sea was like glass. The sky was periwinkle blue, and we could see across the water to the island of Arran. There was still a touch of snow on the peak of Goatfell, its tallest mountain. It was a perfect day.
“Do you think this is what heaven will be like?” I asked my mum. “This and so much more,” she said.
That’s what heaven will be like. This and so much more.
The peace you’ve hoped for.
The joy you’ve prayed for.
The rest that you are weary for.
This and so much more.
Perfect peace
One of my favorite things to do at the airport is people watch. Recently, I was at waiting for a flight which was running two hours behind schedule, so I decided to pay extra attention to everyone around me. I saw quite a slice of life hurrying through the terminal:
A harassed-looking mum trying to corral three small children, one of whom was having a total meltdown.
An elderly man in a wheelchair, wearing a hat commemorating his years of service in the military. He was missing his right leg below the knee.
A businessman staring at his reflection in the window, trying to cover his balding spot.
Let me throw myself into the mix, too. Slightly limping, I’m not sure yet what’s wrong with my right knee, but it clicks when I walk and sometimes it’s really painful. I was tired and I obviously didn’t manage to take all my eye makeup off last night as, when I caught my reflection, I looked a bit like a startled badger.
A wave of compassion and love flooded over me as I looked at us all, hurrying through life, doing the best we can most days and yet falling into bed every night exhausted before a new one begins.
Knowing the joy that is waiting for me changes each day I live on this earth
When we are finally home with Jesus, all the weariness of this life will be gone forever. We will finally be who God created us to be. Whatever it is about yourself that you find frustrating or discouraging will be gone. There will be no more self-doubt or fear or sadness. You’ll be the beautiful, creative, joy-filled you that God created you to be.
“But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Saviour. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control” (Philippians 3:20–21).
You’ll have a glorious body! No more aching joints or bad hair days. No more falling into bed exhausted at night. In this life, it is easy to become discouraged, but that’s why we have to remember who we are and where we belong. Our real, eternal lives will reveal all the hope that Jesus died to give us.
Joy for today
Knowing the joy that is waiting for me changes each day I live on this earth. But I’m not waiting for Jesus to “get me out of here.” I want my life to count now. I want to let as many people as possible know that heaven is real and that God, in Christ, has sent out an invitation to every man, woman and child. This life is full of disappointments but, in heaven, those will be gone forever.
There are many people who have sacrificed their hopes and dreams to take care of others. My mum left school when she was 16 to help care for her father, who had Alzheimer’s, but she had always dreamt of being a teacher. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if she is a teacher in heaven.
When we are finally home with Jesus, all the weariness of this life will be gone
I wonder what unfulfilled dreams are still tucked inside of you. Perhaps you started something and didn’t have time to complete it. Perhaps life interrupted, or an illness shelved your gifts. You are still you, with the same heart and desires, but your body simply won’t allow you to carry on. I believe that in heaven, with a new body and new strength, you will get to explore every good God-given dream you’ve ever had.
I love how Eugene Petterson interprets these two verses in The Message: “Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed - that exhilarating finish in and with God - he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God” Hebrews 12:2-3.
The promise of eternity changes everything.
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