Golden fields of corn ready to harvest and the brilliant blue sky worsened my mood further. How could it look so perfect and my spirit be in such disarray?
It won't be like this in heaven. The outside will match my insides. It will be perfect. There won't be any more of these hard seasons.
I've never really longed for heaven. I like living on earth! But it hit me that my entire life I truly have been waiting for heaven--the place of perfection where we no longer experience the worries, pain, and fears of this world. I've been longing for that way of being pretty much every day of my life.
Think about it.
No more:
- Sticking my foot in my mouth
- Head colds
- Worries about my children
- Tears over lost friendships
- Regrets about things I could have done better
- Disharmony with my loved ones
- Loneliness
- Imperfection
- Mosquito bites
(Had to throw the last one in there.)
Anxiety is normal--no, I'm not recommending it! But someday all the pain we deal with will disappear, leaving us in the state we're meant to be in. With God. Forever.
2 Corinthians 5:4-5 (NIV)
" 4 For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."
(From The Bible Gateway--this is a wonderful resource to look up passages or terms in different translations. www.biblegateway.com)
Do you get weighed down by the anxieties of life? Keep praying!
Have a terrific weekend!!
What a wonderful post, Jill, thank you so much for sharing. I don't have any great advice, except to echo yours: when the anxieties seem bigger than I am, I pray.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kristina. Prayer gets me through everything! :)
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ReplyDeleteBeautiful post, Jill. Yes, I get weighted down by this life. One thing I look forward to most is not having a sinful nature, or being insecure about things. Knowing I am in Jesus' presence will be so amazing.
ReplyDeleteWhen I get weighed down, I pray too. And journal, if there's time. Somehow God speaks to my heart through the pen pushed to paper.
Beautiful today, Jill. Thanks for your transparency.
Same here, Jeanne--no sinful nature? No more insecurity? Yes! I'll take it! Journals keep me sane. :)
DeleteLove this, Jill. Like you, I don't know that I've ever exactly "longed" for heaven...and yet, I know it's going to rock. Someone sent me a funny cartoon a few weeks back that said something like, "When work is driving you crazy, just remember one day you're going to die." I laughed like crazy but actually, it's pretty true and kind of comforting really. Day job anxieties or any other anxiety is amazingly and wonderfully temporal.
ReplyDeleteHa, ha! What a saying? And yet, it is a comfort, isn't it? Thanks!
DeleteI have heavier moments but I work through them. I love no mosquito bites, that's enough for me to go now. :) Loved this post. So encouraging and inspiring!
ReplyDeleteI love no mosquito bites too. :) Thanks!
DeleteI don't long for heaven but I do long for having my heaven on earth where I can still enjoy the beauty created but in peace and harmony. As it was meant to be. But, yes, I deal with anxiety and hard times and am going through a some tough times right now. I've been spending time in the sunshine (as much as I can) and soaking in the beauty and the peace surrounding me. I focus on all the good that is in my life and what I do have and give thanks for that and ask for the strength to deal with everything else.
ReplyDeleteSome how when I'm outside it frees my mind and spirit...let's me listen and put things into perspective.
Sia McKye Over Coffee
I'm sorry you're going through tough times. I understand. And I totally get how nature heals. I spend a lot of time outdoors. :)
DeleteI love this. I long for heaven where the cares of this world are gone forever and we delight in the presence of Jesus. And our fellow believers who are doing the same. :)
ReplyDeleteWon't that be wonderful? Sharing forever with our loved ones? Yes!
DeleteTo be honest - the only thing I really need to see in Heaven are the faces of my loved and lost, returned forever to life and springtime youth.
ReplyDeleteIn their love and friendship was God reflected, though too often I had not the wit to see Him.
I'll accept an eternity of mosquito bites for that.
http://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/
Wow, Andrew, this is poetic. Thank you for sharing.
DeleteJill: A friend of mine and I were talking. She has a great niece, age 18, who is having a medical condition that seems to run in their family. She is a twin. A few years ago a cousin, also a twin, had something similar and had to deal with the healing process for over a year. My friend lost a brother almost a year and a half ago from a similar problem that he didn't see about. Several years ago she lost a sister from a complication from Cancer. My friend's mother is beside herself with worry and concern. Please pray for this family.
ReplyDeleteHow sad. I will pray, Cecelia. Thank you for sharing this.
DeleteHey Jill, thanks for sharing. With the nasty cold I picked up this week, and no option to stay home sick--I'm longing for rest. This is not the garden of Eden. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteThis time of year tends to bring on the germs. I'm sorry you had to suffer through a cold AND work. Yuck!!
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