Love, life, and joy will be the hallmarks of our eternal home.
As I was driving home from the hospital, I was thinking about how much I wanted my life to just end. I felt terrible, the doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me, and I was headed back home with a heart of helplessness. When we go to the hospital, we expect the doctor to fix any problem that we may have. Whether that be a twisted ankle or a chronic illness, we expect them to help us.
When I was at the hospital, it finally dawned on me. The doctors, nurses, PA-C’s, and intake coordinators are human just like us. They get sick, make mistakes, and are affected by the fall of mankind too. Similar to many people, I placed doctors on a pedestal because I thought they could always help and fix any problem I might be suffering from. However, after that day in the hospital, my hope in the medical field became non-existent.
Living in the Fallen World
While at the hospital, I saw the front desk staff not lift a finger to help a woman doubling over in pain. It was inhumane. Other people in the emergency room just stared at this woman as though she was a freak. I felt terrible for the woman, but like most of the other people, I chose to not engage. Even though I did not stare or gawk at her, it wasn’t kind of me to ignore her cries for help.
Sadly, this woman was experiencing the effects of living in a fallen world. She was in extreme pain, yet nobody did anything for her—and she was at the emergency room. Most of us would like to think we would get quality care in the hospital, yet many of us don’t. Due to the high volume of patients, lack of medical staff, and the despairing divide of apathy, many people leave the hospital feeling anything but seen, safe, or heard.
This is the heavy, hurting reality of the sinful world we find ourselves in each day. There are people who should care, but they don’t. They choose to turn a deaf ear to our cries for help. At times, it can feel as though we are a long way from home. And this feeling is completely true. We are far from home because our home is in heaven (Philippians 3:20; 2 Corinthians 5:1).
The world we are living in feels so awful because it is polluted by sin. This is why so many people don’t care about us and are okay with us suffering. As nice as it would be to say the human populace is relatively good, it's not true. Rather, as humans, we are all fallen (Romans 3:23). Each of us freely chooses to commit sins, and we hurt others in the process.
What I saw in the emergency room was what people see every day. People ultimately prioritize themselves over others. This is a big pill to swallow, but it is one we must understand. Nonetheless, though other people might not care about us, God does. His love for us is abounding, everlasting, and eternal (Psalm 136:1; Jeremiah 31:3).
Embracing God’s Love
When we are caught up in the pains and disappointments in the world, we need to focus on God and embrace the love He has for us. Out of His great love for us, we will be kept safe, secure, and steadfast. His protection over us will never fail (Psalm 91:1-6). Therefore, even though other people have failed us, whether a doctor, family member, or friend, God will never fail us.
Take solace in this truth and allow it to bring lasting hope into your heart. He will protect you and give you deliverance. While all of us will pass away, God will be with us every step on this Earth, and He will be with us in the life to come. It is true that pain and problems will persist, but where God is, there is hope.
As we walk through this life, we must remember that God is always for us (Romans 8:31-32). He is never against us. When we reflect on this truth, it can help us embrace God’s love and know that we are safe in His arms.
Many things in this world can make us feel unsafe and helpless. However, we must stop reflecting on these things. Instead, we need to look to God and rest in the peace of His promises. Because of God’s love, we have eternal life. Ever since we placed faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, we have been welcomed into His family, blessed with salvation, and given eternal life. All of this is out of God's immeasurable love for us.
Looking Forward to Our Eternal Home
As we embrace this truth, we can look forward to the future with a hopeful heart. We are far from home right now, but we will be brought to our heavenly home soon because of God’s love. Even though it might feel like a long time away, the present time is short compared to eternity. The average person lives seventy or eighty years on this Earth, and then they are taken to their final destiny.
This final destiny is based on whether or not the individual placed faith in Jesus Christ. If a person places faith in Jesus, they will enter heaven when they pass from this life; however, if a person chooses to not place faith in Jesus, they will go to hell. They go to hell because they have no payment for their sins. Only through placing faith in Jesus can our sin debt be forgiven.
Jesus tells us that His house has many rooms (John 14:1-3). This means that there is endless space in heaven and all people are invited to live here after they pass if they simply choose to believe in Him.
In the future, God will create the New Heaven and New Earth. This will be the home of righteousness (2 Peter 3:13). Once we are in the New Heaven and New Earth, there will no longer be any death, tears, or pain (Revelation 21:4).
The New Heaven and New Earth will be eternal. This means it will never be destroyed. Love, life, and joy will be the hallmarks of our eternal home. We will never get sick or grow depressed. We can look forward to this day with a heart of hope and allow it to give us peace when the days are dark.
Until this time comes, we need to stand strong in the Lord. There will come days when we really want to leave this world, but God has us here for a purpose. We will not be taken from this world until we have fulfilled this purpose. At our proper time, God will take us to be with Him in heaven.
On that day, there will be endless rejoicing and praise. We will have finally made it home.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/sankai
