My True Country

“Listen, Peter.  When Aslan said you could never go back to Narnia, he meant the Narnia you were thinking of.  But that was not the real Narnia.  That had a beginning and an end.  It was only a shadow or a copy of the real Narnia, which has always been here and always will be here: just as our own world. …It was the Unicorn who summed up what everyone was feeling.  He stamped his right fore hoof on the ground and neighed and then cried: ‘I have come home at last!  This is my real country!  I belong here.  This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now.  The reason why we loved the old Narnia is that it sometimes looked a little like this.’”  – The Last Battle – C.S. Lewis

Have you ever felt like there had to be more to this world than we know about or can see?  Do you ever feel like you have a yearning or a hunger that this world just can’t meet…almost like having an itch in the middle of your back and you can’t quite reach it?  Have you ever wondered what happens at that moment when life as we know it ceases to exist?  The first time I thought about this was when I saw the shell of my great grandfather at his funeral.  The lifeless body seemed so strange compared to the man who always wore a smile and could light up a room with his wit and humor.  Since that time, many personal losses and witnessing the transition of so many of my patients have only served to increase my wonder of that moment.  Losing dad caused me to really study what happens when someone dies.  And having the privilege to be on this side of eternity helping to escort my baby girl to her forever home has only intensified my hunger for answers.

 

There are a lot of ideas going around about Heaven and sadly, many are completely wrong.  I know that I used to imagine Heaven as a place of endless singing, floating around with little to do and few new experiences.  I, like many others, was fooled into believing many lies about the dwelling place of God.  It seems as though there is currently an intense interest in Heaven for many people.  There are a lot of popular books and movies on the subject but more often than not, what they say is not in line with what the Bible has to say about Heaven.  I believe that one of Satan’s greatest accomplishments is to get us to think incorrectly about Heaven.  Randy Alcorn has written extensively on the subject of Heaven and he states that there are three things that our enemy slanders: God’s person, God’s people, and God’s place – Heaven.  What better way to get us to not work for eternity than to have us not look forward to it.  I have even heard of pastors who admit that they are not excited about Heaven because they fear it will be boring!  It is difficult and maybe impossible to yearn for something that you don’t understand and can’t imagine.  This is why Satan works so hard to overshadow Biblical truths of Heaven with lies.  And remember, when Satan lies “He speaks his native language” (John 8:44).

 

It is so important for us to realize and understand the truth about Heaven.  While it can be difficult to stay focused on something we’ve never seen, heard or experienced, it is vital for us to do so.  Jonathan Edwards was a Puritan preacher who often spoke about Heaven.  He said, “It becomes us to spend this life only as a journey toward Heaven…to which we should subordinate all other concerns of life.  Why should we labor for or set our hearts on anything else, but that which is our proper end and true happiness?”

 

I won’t try to exhaustively describe Heaven (the Bible has too many things to say for me to appropriately sum it all up in a simple blog post) but here are just a few descriptions.

Heaven is a country – Luke 19:12, Hebrews 11:14-16

Heaven is a city – Hebrews 12:22, Hebrews 13:14, Revelation 21:2

(These two descriptions clearly go against thoughts of just floating around on clouds.)

Heaven is the true Christian’s place of citizenship – Hebrews 11:16, Philippians 3:20

Jesus himself described Heaven as a place having many rooms.  He promised to prepare a place for each believer – John 14:2-3

(This was the idea behind the children’s book [Visit with the King] that I wrote.)

We will eat and drink in Heaven just as Christ ate and drank in his resurrection body – Luke 14:15, 22:18 (Can you imagine the amazing foods and drinks that are awaiting us!)

In Heaven, eternal rewards and possessions will vary from one believer to the next – Matthew 6:19-25, 25:20-21, Luke 19:17-19, 1 Corinthians 3:12-15, 2 Corinthians 5:9-10

We will reign alongside Christ but our level of responsibility is dependent on our service for him now – 2 Timothy 2:12, Revelation 3:21, 22:5

 

These are just a few of the truths that the scriptures reveal about Heaven.  I know that a lot of these go against what is commonly thought about the believer’s eternal home.  I have heard people say that they would rather party with their friends in hell than be bored with Christians in Heaven.  Sadly, many find out too late that hell is not an ongoing party full of fun and life.  It is a place of isolation and one full of regrets.  (This is another broad topic and one I won’t talk about now.)

 

I think one of the most exciting parts of our Heavenly home is that Jesus himself is preparing it.  We are told that Jesus is the creator of all things.  (John 1:3, John 1:10, Acts 3:15, 1 Corinthians 8:6, Colossians 1:15-16, Hebrews 1:2)  Imagine this…the one that paints the breathtaking sunrises and sunsets we enjoy daily, the one that created the immense diversity of nature we continue to learn about, the one who thought of laughter and pleasure, the one that created the components of chocolate…this same Creator is the one preparing the homes for those that have placed their faith in Him!  We can’t hope to know in entirety the details of our future home (“…no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those that love him.’” 1 Corinthians 2:9).  But we are able to catch glimpses through the Holy Spirit and the Bible (“These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit” 1 Corinthians 2:10).

 

Randy Alcorn has a book called Edge of Eternity.  In this book Jesus is represented as the Woodsman and Heaven is called Charis (which is Greek for grace).  The Woodsman has just sacrificed himself while placing a tree bridge across a bottomless chasm, which could not be crossed any other way.  The Woodsman comes to life and then carries the main character, Nick, across the chasm.  Upon reaching the other side, Nick continues his journey toward Charis.

He asks the Woodsman, “But why is it [Charis] still so far away?”  In response, the Woodsman answers “At moments Charis will seem close to you; sometimes it will seem impossibly far.  But every day on the red road you will be one day closer to it.  I am building a home for you.  I’ll be there to welcome you when you arrive.”

“You’re leaving me then?”

“I’ll be inside.”  He put his hand on my chest.  “And I’ll give you instructions to show you the way.”

“The place you said you’re building for me…what will it be like?”

“A home made just for you.  You’ll like it.”  He smiled.  “I know how to build.”

 

I love that Alcorn pulls out of the scriptures such an important detail.  As Jesus was leaving his disciples, he didn’t say “I have already prepared a place for you in heaven.”  Instead he said “I am going there to prepare a place for you.”  Heaven has been updated and under going renovations ever since the time Jesus ascended back to Heaven!  (John 14:1-3)

 

During Hannah’s last hours on earth and in the days that followed, we were given small glimpses into eternity.  I especially think of the moments immediately surrounding her death.  I had prayed over her for hours, knowing that my time with her (at least for now) would be brief.  After we discontinued the machines that were artificially trying to provide her with life, Steph and I crawled up next to her.  It is one of the most painful and powerful moments of my entire life.  We were privileged to be on this side of eternity coaching my little girl into the arms of Jesus.  It was almost as if the veil that separates us from Heaven was momentarily pulled back allowing us to experience a small foretaste of what awaits us.  It was a holy experience unlike anything else I have ever been a part of before and since.  I still struggle to put into words what that moment was like.  So much pain, yet overwhelming peace.  Unbearable sadness but mixed with hope and unexplainable happiness.

There are still many questions that remain unanswered but there are several things I know for certain.  Hannah was ushered from her broken body into eternity by a mighty angel.  I prayed for God to send one of his “best angels” to take my baby home and I am sure that he honored that prayer (Luke 16:22).  Upon entering Heaven, Hannah was greeted by her King Jesus.  The song that played when she took her last labored breath may have even continued playing as she met him.  “King Jesus, you are victorious.  You have conquered death with this life of love.  King Jesus, you are victorious.  You paid the final debt for all of us.  King Jesus, you are victorious.”  After praying over Hannah and thanking God for her life, this hope was confirmed when Steph had her vision of Hannah looking back at us, smiling, and then turning to run into the arms of her King.  While we often wonder what Hannah is doing or experiencing, there is a chance that she may be allowed to see some of what is occurring on earth.  In Revelation 6:9-11, the martyrs seem to know at least some of the events occurring on earth.  During the transfiguration, Moses and Elijah spoke with Jesus about what was about to happen in Jerusalem.  They seemed to understand the events currently taking place on earth (Luke 9:31).  In Hebrews 12:1, we are told to “run the race marked out for us”.  We are also told of the “great cloud of witnesses” (those believers who have already died).  It gives a picture of believers who are still on the field of play being cheered on by those who have already completed their competition.  (There are many other verses that seem to elude to the knowledge of earthly events in Heaven.)  What an amazing thing to think that Hannah may be able to watch us as we continue to serve here.

 

Life is still hard for us.  Not having our little girl here hurts.  Hearing our boys talk about missing their sissy and wanting to see her is not easy.  But knowing where she is and having some knowledge of what she may be doing does help to ease the pain.  We know without doubt that the time we still have to look forward to with Hannah will completely eclipse the time we have been (and will still be) without her.  Here is the bottom line.  Heaven is a real place…just as real as Kenya or America.  (In fact, it is actually even more real!)  While I currently call Kenya my home, it is not my real country.  America is not even my true country.  Both of these places have elements of home and offer a great deal but neither one will ever be fully home.  I, like so many, am “longing for a better country” (Hebrews 11:16).  My true home, my true country is Heaven…the place where my daughter and my Savior are waiting to welcome me to my forever home.

 

“Compared to what he now beheld, the world he’d come from was a land of shadows, colorless and two-dimensional. This place was fresh and captivating, resonating with color and beauty. He could not only see and hear it, but feel and smell and taste it. Every hillside, every mountain, every waterfall, every frolicking animal in the fields seemed to beckon him to come join them, to come from the outside and plunge into the inside. This whole world had the feel of cool water on a blistering August afternoon. The light beckoned him to dive in with abandon, to come join the great adventure.

“I know what this is,” Quan said.

“Tell me,” said the Carpenter.”

“It’s the substance that casts all those shadows in the other world. The circles there are copies of the spheres here. The squares there are copies of the cubes here. The triangles there are copies of the pyramids here. Earth was a flatland. This is . . . well, the inside is bigger than the outside, isn’t it? How many dimensions are there?”

“Far more than you have seen yet,” the King said, laughing.

“This is the Place that defines and gives meaning to all places,” Li Quan said. “I never imagined it would be like this.”

 

Safely Home – Randy Alcorn

Prayer requests:

-Pray for Tenwek as we prepare for possible cases of Ebola.  We have a team of individuals working on all aspects of Ebola preparedness.  To say that we face a lot of challenges is an understatement.  We pray that it never makes it to Tenwek but we are trying to prepare for the worst.  And please continue to pray for all those who have been effected.

– Pray for our family as I may have the opportunity to travel to the states briefly for a CDC Ebola training course.  It would likely be only a few weeks after Joshua arrives and it will be a painfully quick trip.

-Pray for us as we prepare for Joshua’s birth.  We have passed the 34 week mark but are hoping for another couple weeks of baby cooking.  It’s been difficult with Steph on modified bed rest.  (Although the boys have been helping out more.)

-Pray for Tenwek leadership as we will be interviewing for new clinical officer interns tomorrow.  We hope to see 16 individuals as we try to fill the 8 slots.  Pray that we will make wise decisions.  Pray also for our soon to be outgoing clinical officer interns.  We have invested a lot into them over the past year.  We pray that they can be a light for Jesus no matter where they end up working.

-Pray for our patients.  We continue to see so many tragic cases, yet we still see many lives and eternal destinations changed for the better.  May we be an accurate reflection of the great physician.