What would heaven be without earthly sorrow

HEAVENWARD

I asked myself this question and the usual 1am bunny trail of thought keeps me up thinking. So yet again, here I write a conversation I ponder with Jesus. All these thoughts flood my mind. I looked at this picture and see people. Different sets of people. Some families, some alone, some with kids, some without, some husbands, some widows. Different people all with different stories. Stories that go untold and some that impact a close friend or maybe an army of people. I remember hearing the quote in high school that said “be kind for everyone you know is fighting a battle you know nothing about.” Those words don’t impact you till you experience something that only family will ever know about. I look at these people and think that at some point, they’ve all experienced hurt that goes untalked about to even the closest of friends. There are so many people in this world that experience pain, loss, heartache, anger, frustration, and every word that’s placed alongside of sadness. A lot can change in a second. The news from one person can shatter a heart into a million pieces that seems impossible to ever put back together. But that’s without a hope, that’s a life without Jesus. Going back to my initial question: what would heaven be like without earthly sorrow? We wouldn’t need an eternal hope, something to look forward to. A life where pain and death don’t exist. A life spent in eternity where sorrow is no more and joy beyond measure is eternal. A life where sin is destroyed and Jesus reigns. A place to dwell forever and ever free from the evil nature that grips our world. A place where death is defeated for all eternity. 

Now, to look at these people and think about the hurt some have gone through. I think about how interactions with strangers can be the coolest opportunity to tell them about a Savior, or to just simply show the love of Jesus to them. As I think about this, all I can think of is the verse in 1 Corinthians. It says this in verse 13:13 “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” The greatest command we have been given is to love. A reminder for myself and for others is to love first. We’ve become such a judgmental society because well, you can judge someone in a second because their whole life is on display for the world to see. So many people will talk about you in poor ways, I’m sure you know what it’s like to hear someone talk bad about the things you love or the projects you want to take on or the things you want to do with your life. But where I learned to not care what people think about me ever is to be known by God. Who I am to Jesus is the only thing that’ll ever matter to me, for only God knows my heart. 

All this to say is next time you think to talk poorly about someone, they’re going through or have gone through unspeakable things. Build each other up, stop tearing down. Love first, it’s the greatest command we’ve ever been given. 

To close, 

If you’ve experienced a pain so great and don’t have Jesus in your life, you will never be healed from the horrors of the sorrow you face. Time helps, but it doesn’t heal, Jesus is the only one who can heal. He healed the blind, healed the lame, brought back to life the dead, healed so many they couldn’t all be accounted for, so why ever doubt your broken heart could be healed? 

Sorrow exists because sin came into the world. But there will come a day where sorrow will be no more. If you don’t have Jesus as your savior and you aren’t sure that when you get to the gates of Heaven that your name is written in the Book of Life, make sure it is today. It says whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Call on Jesus, make Him the author and perfecter or your faith. Life with Jesus doesn’t separate you from the earthly sorrow but it brings you through any and all things. After you’ve asked Him into your heart, your name will be written in eternity and the gates will be open wide on the day you’re called home. Jesus is the only way. 

Forever in eternity will be your home soon, so take heart you who are weary, find rest that Jesus is your hope, Jesus is your Prince Of Peace. He will carry you through this life. 

Call on His name and be saved.