Blessed Hope

I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in this, but I often have moments as a believer in Christ when the muddy water seems to clear up significantly, and I see things I've never seen before. Such was the case when I read the book "A Journey Worth Taking" by Charles D. Drew. The basic truths in it were not so different from what I've always believed and been taught, but the way they were presented was, shall I say, life changing for me.

The book offers a fresh perspective on finding purpose in life--for the believer. I am not going to go into everything the book says in this post (but I do highly recommend it). I'd just like to share one section.

"Many things now stand in the way of the full satisfying expression of our God-given gifts and motivations. Much in our fallen world inhibits our development as people. We rightly care for people in need (the poor, our children, aging parents), but this can often be at enormous cost in time and energy--resources that might otherwise be spent discovering and developing our particular gifts. Inner struggles can paralyze us. Oppressive parents, friends, or governments shut down much of our creative effort. But that is OK. A better and infinitely more satisfying day is coming just around the corner. We can afford to be patient."

For this often lonely and frustrated stay-at-home mom, those words were very refreshing. The days upon days where it seems the only thing I manage to do is take care of my children's physical needs is not a waste of time, nor is it all there is. We all tend to get caught up in trying to reach full satisfaction in this world--even we Christians. And when we realize how elusive that satisfaction is we can get discouraged. But we need not be discouraged. When we reach heaven none of that will matter, for it is in heaven, and only in heaven, that all our desires will be satisfied. What a blessed hope!

"We are reaching for the future

We are reaching for the past

And no matter what we have, we reach for more.

We are desperate to discover

What is just beyond our grasp

Maybe that's what heaven is for...."

--Carolyn Arends