ESCAPE TO HEAVEN
I married into a vacation-loving family. My in-laws are very intentional about planning annual family vacations. In fact, they start planning the next vacation before the one we are on has ended! This took some adjusting for me. I grew up in a family whose idea of vacation was taking a break from working outside and going to work inside. Family vacations=family work days. I’m so incredibly grateful that my family taught me the value of working hard; I would not trade that work ethic instilled in me, but I’ve also grown to appreciate the value of taking a break and having something fun to look forward to. Sometimes just knowing that relief is coming soon is enough to get you through a difficult day.
In our first years after the accident, family vacations wasn’t an option. Jen needed our care 24/7 and we were afraid to disrupt her routine and put her in unpredictable situations where she might possibly get confused or injured. Instead of taking physical vacations, we took mental ones. We escaped the pain of our earthly facts by focusing on our heavenly realities. One of the ways we did this was by talking about heaven. We wore out Revelation 21:4-5, dreaming of the day when we would have no more tears or pain or sorrow. We’d picture Jen running and dancing and eating with her completely healed, perfect body in heaven. We talked about it and sang about it and laughed about it together. Honestly, it was a lot like having the greatest vacation of all time to look forward to; and, on many painful days, it was enough to help us survive one more day.
If you are struggling to get out of bed today, head to work, or face whatever earthly trouble is wrapping you apart, try6 getting up and reading Revelation 21:4-5 out loud. Ask God to help you mentally escape from the troubles of this world by focusing on your future “vacation” in heaven:
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”
We cannot change our earthly facts. Only God can do that if He thinks it’s best for us. We can, however, take a break from them by looking forward to our heavenly realities.
Imagine this…God spent six days creating the earth, and it’s pretty amazing. Think about the mountains and the beaches and all your favorite vacation spots. The best this world has to offer took Him six days. Now consider…Your Heavenly Father has been planning and preparing heaven for you for more than 2,000 years! Can you even fathom how incredible it’s going to be? He’s putting together a family vacation that is exceedingly, abundantly beyond anything you could ever ask or imagine, with no more tears or sorrow or pain…and it’s FOREVER—it never ends! Now that’s something to look forward to!!!