Let’s just get this out in the open.
I’m a mess.
And so are you.
Oh, I can come up with a long list of nice things that I have done. But, there’s another list that I don’t talk about so much……and it gets updated just about every day.
Anger, revenge, jealousy, dishonesty, exaggeration, pride, selfishness.
Even though I don’t share this list with others, I am acutely aware of it. I know that I have fallen short…….. today………and I will fall short again tomorrow. Any of this sound familiar?
As you probably guessed……we’re all in the same boat. Measured on God’s scale there really isn’t much difference between us. So………I don’t get to congratulate myself because I was nice for a while today……..and I don’t have to beat myself up because I was bad. Being a mess is normal. Being a mess is actually not the problem.
The real problem with being a mess is that we can start to feel unworthy. Oh, we won’t run around telling everybody how rotten we are. It’s much more subtle than that. Instead, we wonder if we really stack up…..if we even belong with all of those really great Christians we run into. We wonder if we will “fit in” in paradise……..even worse………we wonder if we will even enjoy paradise……. sitting around all day playing a harp.
Here are some facts to help you.
Those really great Christians…..you probably already guessed…… they’re a mess too. Don’t worry if their lists are better or worse than yours………there is no meaningful difference.
You will “fit in” in paradise because it’s going to be full of people just like you……. forgiven sinners.
Finally……. and best of all……paradise is going to be a lot of fun. I’m not a Bible scholar…….this is my best guess. You probably won’t have a harp…….a white gown…..a halo. You won’t spend your day sitting on a cloud singing hymns……although you will spend time praising God……..out of sincere gratitude and love. You will have a physical body and you will be in your prime……maybe in your 20’s. You will have a home. You will probably have a job………one that you really enjoy. But, most of all you will experience the joy of doing the one thing that you were designed for…… spending time with your creator.
I’m retired. As I write this, I’m sitting on my front porch. It’s a cool summer morning. Humidity is uncharacteristically low for Kentucky. There is a blue sky with white clouds. There is a nest of warblers singing away about 12 feet from me. All I can see is grass, trees, flowers, sky, and Jet…….the best Labrador on the planet. In a little while, I’ll put down my coffee, wander over to my shop, and build a table. I think that paradise must be something like this morning……..only better.
When I get there, I don’t know if I will still be a mess……..I think probably not. But, even if I am it will not be a big problem. I am so looking forward to it. If you are not looking forward to paradise, maybe you are carrying around the wrong picture of eternity.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
David, ESV