2 Peter 3:12-13
That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
I will never forget the day when I realized that my true love and I would not be together forever....that there would be a day when our lives, as we know it, would part. Throughout our dating and engagement, I had spent all of my time and energy on anticipating the next date, the next time I would see him....that next moment. Then the wedding...then the house...then the birth of our children....also looking at the next milestone. Then one night as I was reading my Bible, I started really reading God's words. I started realizing the implications of the message as being more than just words on a page but rather as Truth. And as tears fell onto the page, I looked around and knew that all of this.....all of it was just the window dressings of a life on this earth.
Even though I had been a believer for several years, I was just beginning to delve into His word and apply it to my life. A life that I loved. A husband that I adored. A husband that I loved waking up to every day....and going to bed with every night. But that night, I realized that what I thought was the final prize in my world was actually just the beginning....the beginning scenes prefacing an eternal life that will be so different than the one that we were creating for ourselves on this earth. "But, God, I have exactly what I want right now. This is good." And I remember in almost a whisper a reply...... "But this is not it."
So, I found myself shying away from the verses and chapters of the Bible that revealed destruction of life as we know it. I focused on Christ's life and His mission to His people...and I kept coming to the rest of the story. No matter where I looked, no matter how far I would delve away from the Truth...I found that I couldn't study part of His Word and reject the rest......for all of It is intertwined as part of our faith. Finally taking a deep breath, I literally plunged into His Word this time drinking it all in....not just parts but all....destruction and all.
And in His Truth, I found Him. All of Him. I was not meant to worship my husband, my children or my career. They have been given to me as blessings but not to be placed above God. Sunday mornings became a day to publicly worship my Savior but these days paled in comparison to the the worship that became part of my every day life....just me and His Throne. My confidence turned from earthly beings to that of the King and through this, I found freedom.
I found that this life, as precious as it can be sometimes and as tragic it can appear, is fleeting in its purpose. This is not it. It isn't. Tomorrow will come as God allows it to come. My job is to prepare for it but He ordains it to be. Not me. By "carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders", I am just humoring myself as to just how much "power" and "control" I have in this world. I really carry nothing on my shoulders.....He carries it all. While I am my husband's wife and true love, I am most importantly His helpmate in this world. Together, we face a spiritual battle every day...I can either be a help or a hindrance. I can either be a solution or a problem. Am I worthy of this calling to be a wife? For my children, I am the first reflection of Christ that they will see on this earth. I am the only reflection of Christ that they will see lived out behind closed doors. Am I worthy of this calling to be a mother? In the beginning, I was far from it. Focused only on things that would have burned quickly in the fire. Today, I am learning to focus on those things eternal......
We've been granted another morning on this earth.....may we use it wisely and purposefully.
That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
I will never forget the day when I realized that my true love and I would not be together forever....that there would be a day when our lives, as we know it, would part. Throughout our dating and engagement, I had spent all of my time and energy on anticipating the next date, the next time I would see him....that next moment. Then the wedding...then the house...then the birth of our children....also looking at the next milestone. Then one night as I was reading my Bible, I started really reading God's words. I started realizing the implications of the message as being more than just words on a page but rather as Truth. And as tears fell onto the page, I looked around and knew that all of this.....all of it was just the window dressings of a life on this earth.
Even though I had been a believer for several years, I was just beginning to delve into His word and apply it to my life. A life that I loved. A husband that I adored. A husband that I loved waking up to every day....and going to bed with every night. But that night, I realized that what I thought was the final prize in my world was actually just the beginning....the beginning scenes prefacing an eternal life that will be so different than the one that we were creating for ourselves on this earth. "But, God, I have exactly what I want right now. This is good." And I remember in almost a whisper a reply...... "But this is not it."
So, I found myself shying away from the verses and chapters of the Bible that revealed destruction of life as we know it. I focused on Christ's life and His mission to His people...and I kept coming to the rest of the story. No matter where I looked, no matter how far I would delve away from the Truth...I found that I couldn't study part of His Word and reject the rest......for all of It is intertwined as part of our faith. Finally taking a deep breath, I literally plunged into His Word this time drinking it all in....not just parts but all....destruction and all.
And in His Truth, I found Him. All of Him. I was not meant to worship my husband, my children or my career. They have been given to me as blessings but not to be placed above God. Sunday mornings became a day to publicly worship my Savior but these days paled in comparison to the the worship that became part of my every day life....just me and His Throne. My confidence turned from earthly beings to that of the King and through this, I found freedom.
I found that this life, as precious as it can be sometimes and as tragic it can appear, is fleeting in its purpose. This is not it. It isn't. Tomorrow will come as God allows it to come. My job is to prepare for it but He ordains it to be. Not me. By "carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders", I am just humoring myself as to just how much "power" and "control" I have in this world. I really carry nothing on my shoulders.....He carries it all. While I am my husband's wife and true love, I am most importantly His helpmate in this world. Together, we face a spiritual battle every day...I can either be a help or a hindrance. I can either be a solution or a problem. Am I worthy of this calling to be a wife? For my children, I am the first reflection of Christ that they will see on this earth. I am the only reflection of Christ that they will see lived out behind closed doors. Am I worthy of this calling to be a mother? In the beginning, I was far from it. Focused only on things that would have burned quickly in the fire. Today, I am learning to focus on those things eternal......
We've been granted another morning on this earth.....may we use it wisely and purposefully.
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