I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone for ever.”
Revelation 21:3-4 NLT
Oliver Goldsmith, the Irish novelist, wrote: “Life is a journey that must be travelled no matter how bad the roads or accommodations.” It’s true that we receive the gift of life, yet have very little control as to how this gift plays out. We wrestle to control what in so many ways lies well beyond our control. Life demands my active engagement no matter my mood, disposition or capacity.
I may not understand my life circumstances, I may feel emotions from elation to despair, yet ultimately I must decide if I am in a game of random chance or there is some purpose behind my life experience. This will demand both faith and optimism. Faith to accept the fact that God is real and the architect of everything I see around me. Optimism that I am not simply on a road to nowhere.
Scripture states that there is a clear destination in view. St Paul pointed out that it’s “through many tribulations” we enter God’s kingdom (Acts 14:22, NKJV). Yet, the destination informs my willingness and ability to navigate those hardships, even if I resent encountering them in the first place. Through the atonement, God is with us now. Yet, that experience of God’s presence cannot be fully realised until we come face to face with God in eternity. Here the full benefits of God’s act of redemption is experienced. Perhaps then, and only then, the hardships will make sense against the total lived experience of my life.
QUESTION
What hardships have you found the hardest to withstand?
PRAYER
May I cling on to the great future hope I have in you, risen Lord Jesus.