I once ran a half-marathon and managed pretty well until mile 10 when the jarring pain caused me to pray for the rapture…..NOW! I knew I had to finish even through the pain, so I kept thinking about the ice-pack and ibuprofen waiting at the end. Sometimes you just have to take a long look to the end in order to enduring in the here and now.
Life is no different. Sometimes when I’m putting a diaper on my 11-year-old I think of the sharp mind and healthy body she will have in Heaven. Sometimes when the checking account is bare I think about my mansion in Heaven. Sometimes when I miss people who have died or live far from me, I think about the reunion in Heaven and the fact that we will never miss anyone or feel lonely again.
Sometimes the long look to the end of this life is just what we need to help us endure the difficulties of the present. The sickness. The broken heart. The need. The hurting. But the end of this vapor of a life is only the beginning. The beginning of a new life full of meaningful service to our Maker, unending communion with our God, unbroken fellowship with the body of Christ, pure living untainted by the curse of sin without any temptation, quarrels, heartache or pain.
2 Corinthians 5 says we “groan” for Heaven and that we were created for the purpose of Heaven. In Heaven we will be more at home and more like our true selves than in any other place or time. It’s why we were created!
I know life on earth is hard at times. So take a long look to the finish line that will usher you into your great reward where you can live like never before. Find strength in the hope of Heaven.
Grace in the Real World - by Connie Post 