I love to take situations from life and draw parallels between them and the Bible’s teaching.
It was on a drive from Texas that inspired these scribbles.
Roadtrip + Texas
Last spring, I (Mika) was doing all my work and meetings online while the “Stay at Home” order was enforced. So my family and I decided to drive 22 hours to Texas to visit some relatives to escape the dreadful isolation of the Coronavirus quarantine.
Fabi and the kids were having a blast with our family while I continued my daily work online. Although we had a good time, all things come to an end, and after a month in the home of cowboys, we decided it was about time to saddle up and head back west.
The ride home was another 22 hours, with an overnight stop at an overpriced motel room in Las Cruces in New Mexico.
The ride was long, but the kids were troopers. At times, they became restless and had had enough. To help them with their discontentment, I asked them, “What are you looking most forward to at home in California?”
They began talking about their bunnies, friends, and beds (I guess they have nice beds). It made them completely forget about their current situation, discomfort, and the many hours before reaching our final destination.
Struggles and a Heavenly Perspective
Our little chat reminded me of the connection between our struggles in life and the importance of a heavenly perspective.
Sometimes life gets tough—Really tough. We face disappointments, sickness, conflict, anxiety, loss, and even death.
If you are human like me, you know it hurts. And sometimes, it’s unbearable. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to throw in the towel at times. But in those dark moments, I always remember that this is not our final destination—This is not Heaven!
Please let that sink in for a moment. Look around you. Think about your life and situation. And remember—This is not Heaven!
The Apostle Paul experienced something most people could only dream about. He experienced a foretaste of Heaven (2 Cor 13). Maybe that’s why he so confidently said, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Rom 8:18). Paul knew the hardship he was experiencing in this world was nothing compared to the glory he would experience in Heaven.
Hardship in this world should produce a deep longing for Heaven. An inheritance reserved for all those who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ. A place where “there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain” (Rev 21:4).
Oh, the sweet thought of eternal glory and the eternal fellowship with God that awaits believers should comfort us and give us much hope!
I can’t wait! But meanwhile, let’s keep a heavenly perspective, fix our eyes on the prize, and run the race set before us with endurance!
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb 12:1-3).
Your brother in Christ,
Mika Kaltoft