It's Always Something

It’s finally warming up!  So, rather than having to deal with snowstorms, we have to deal with flooding.  As they say, it’s always something.

And you know, it seems like it is.  No matter how well things are going, no matter how happy we may be, it seems like there’s always something we have to deal with.  Something we wish we could ignore, something we wish would just go away.  But we can’t and it won’t, so we have to deal with it, whatever “it” happens to be.

Why is life like that?  I don’t know.  One reason, of course, is that life is full of human beings.  As you may have noticed, we human beings tend to be rather imperfect.  We make mistakes, we do things wrong, we mess up, sometimes intentionally but most of the time accidentally.  And because of that, there are always things--difficult things, unpleasant things, sometimes painful things--that we have to deal with.  That’s just the way it is.

I assume that in heaven, it won’t be that way.  Heaven is the home of the perfect, holy God.  I assume that when we’re in God’s presence, God takes care of those difficult, unpleasant, painful things.  It’s only here on earth that we have to deal with them.

I assume that, but I’m not sure.  After all, the book of Revelation tells us that, in heaven, we will continue to serve God in some way.  I think that service will be willing.  I think it will be joyful.  I think we will consider it an honor and a privilege to serve God in heaven.  Really, we should feel that way on earth, too.  But none of that guarantees that our service will be easy.  I don’t think it will be painful--I don’t think we’ll feel pain in heaven--but it still may not be easy.

And maybe, if we really think about it, we don’t want it to be.  There’s something in the human spirit that needs to feel a sense of accomplishment.  There’s something about us that needs to feel like we’ve achieved something.  If everything is easy, if we never have any difficulties to deal with or obstacles to overcome, we don’t get that sense of accomplishment and achievement.  And we feel like our lives are diminished in some way.

Now, again, that’s true of us while we’re on earth.  Will it be true of us when we’re in heaven?  I don’t know.  But I think it’s possible.

But even if it is, it’s not something to worry about.  Because whatever we need in heaven, God will give it to us.  If we need to feel a sense of accomplishment and achievement, God will give us that.  If not, then God won’t.  But whatever we need, God will give it to us.

And in a way, that’s true of our lives on earth, too.  No, God does not always make our lives easy.  There are people in the world who are being jailed or even killed for their religious faith.  But God does offer us salvation and eternal life by faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior.  And when you think about it, that truly is all we need.