Dear Sister,
Like King Solomon, if offered the world, I hope I would ask for the intangibles: wisdom, love, etc.; but I ask myself, is that really what my heart desires? Is that really where I live? There is a part (not a small part) of my heart that yearns for the new, sparkly, exciting gifts under the tree. But God has begun to check my heart and help me to examine my desires more closely this past year. While I have been a Christian—trusting in Jesus’ gift of substitution on the cross for my salvation—since I was a young girl, I have treated the thought of heaven like a nebulous, far-off eventuality and have not dwelt on its tangible, real properties and what they mean to me. I have existed in the present in a much more concrete way. That is me: delighting in absolutes and control (says the military wife who has very little of either in this life).
However, even if this life is lived for 100+ years, eternity is obviously of greater magnitude and much more worthy of my concentration and desires. As I write this letter, I am enjoying a ‘Mommy Vacation’ on the beach. It is lovely, quiet, and restful. But, in spite of the enjoyment I am having, this is not my home and anyone would think me nuts if I treated this cottage as such: decorating it, cleaning it, remodeling it. For, after all, tomorrow I leave to go home.
God gave us the ability to dream and create; and He delights in giving us good gifts. I am sure He smiled at my joy as I opened my gift of time away. He also knows the plans and desires my husband and I have for our family—we speak often of our ‘forever home’ (a term military families tend to use to differentiate between the homes we live in for a couple of years vs. the home we plan invest in and live in for the remainder of our lives), and we dream about the floor plan, location, etc.
In reality, though, this time on earth is not our true ‘forever home’ and now I see I should hesitate to treat it so. I have found that developing the right desires begins in correctly establishing my attitude and priorities. “But earnestly desire the greater gifts.” I Cor. 12:31a. If I neglect to focus on heaven and time with Jesus, I will have settled for uselessly decorating my 2-day cottage instead of investing and planning in my true home.
Does the thought of eternity in an unknown place frighten you, sister? I won’t lie—it has scared me at times. I have marveled at Paul’s statement, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Phil. 1:21. He was so sure of his desires. Yet, as I have considered who Jesus is, read what He says in His Word about heaven, and mulled over what time in heaven will be like, I have found my attitude changing. My desires for the things of the earth clamor less in my heart and my joy in those far-off expectations increase. The veil of the unknown becomes a little less opaque and my heart quickens. Our new, sparkly gift is under the tree, dear sister, He just waits for us to unwrap our desire in Him. Enjoy our gifts here on earth, but set your heart’s desire on Jesus and our ‘forever home’ with Him. “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain.” Rev. 21:3b-4a
Running with you,
Rebecca