Live like you're in Heaven

I am coming to the end of a season of great joy, and seemingly, entering into a season of heartache...

A lyric from a pop song by Green Day, "Closing Time", aptly depicts this fact of life...

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.

As you all know, I enjoyed over two years with my daughter, son-in-law and now 14 month old granddaughter living with me and my husband.  I will be forever grateful to the Lord for allowing such a blessed season in my life.  The joy of having my daughter and son-in-law around, and the sheer delight of cherishing every day of my granddaugther's first 14 months.

The time is approaching where they will be moving into their own place.  We don't know where or when exactly, but some time soon...  This will be a very exciting time for them.  A new beginning...

As a parent, you always feel blessed to see your children go off and live their lives successfully, fully dependent on the Lord.  But of course it is bittersweet as well...

That will mark the official emptying of the nest.  {I've experienced my daughter moving to California, but my son was still home.  When my daughter moved back in, my son got married and moved out.} 

The empty nest will be more profoundly felt as my granddaughter will be part of the flight...

Contributing to this season of heartache, my daughter and son-in-law's beloved German Shepherd, Dakota, who has lived in our home a majority of his life, is coming to the end of his days, more than likely in the next couple of weeks...  It is always so hard to say goodbye to a pet.  And Dakota, well he is just a member of the family.  He has such a gentle spirit and has brought us so much joy.

I realize I'm not the only one who is in a season of heartache, such as life...

I know of dear sweet brothers and sisters in the Lord who are enduring unimaginable heartache...  My heart grieves with them...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We are just pilgrims here...  

Chosen to live in a time and space carved out by the Lord...  

With Kingdom work to do...

Joys to experience...

And trials to walk through, coming through the Father's loving hand, to draw us close to Him and remind us...

We are just pilgrims here...

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,

    in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

As they go through the Valley of Baca

    they make it a place of springs;

    the early rain also covers it with pools.

They go from strength to strength;

    each one appears before God in Zion.

Psalm 84:5-7

The King James Version uses Valley of Weeping in the above verse.

I was always struck by the subsequent verse, "They go from strength to strength", because sadly, too often, I go from worry to worry...  

When I am going through a trial, my fretting leaves me so distracted that I can hardly focus on anything.  Housework, blogging, Bible study and prayer time, all are left by the wayside, as I go from worry to worry...

Why???  Why do I do that???  What is that possibly accomplishing! It is silly to be so distracted by worry that I don't even pray or spend time in the Word when that is the source of my strength!

As I reflected upon my besetting weakness sin, I was reminded of one of my favorite passages in the Bible,

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,

and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,

and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;

and a little child shall lead them.

The cow and the bear shall graze;

their young shall lie down together;

and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,

and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.

They shall not hurt or destroy

in all my holy mountain;

for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord

as the waters cover the sea.

Isaiah 11:7-9

Being someone who loves the outdoors, I find these verses so comforting, reminding me of a time when there will be no more night, when I will always be outside in the constant presence of the Light of my God and Father   

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”

1 Corinthians 2:9

In reflecting upon Psalm 84 further, not to sound morbid, but tomorrow is not guaranteed for any of us.  We could be worrying about something that will happen tomorrow when in fact tomorrow we could be in the presence of the Lord, enjoying the scene described in Isaiah, and having our last tear wiped away when there will be no more dying, mourning, weeping, or pain.

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God;1 believe also in me.  In my 

Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take

 you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

John 14:1-3

Your hearts should be consumed with the knowledge of the highway to Zion.  

As you walk through the Valley of Weeping, you can live like you're in Heaven.  

Memorizing and meditating upon passages that describe our Heavenly home will cause springs of hope to grow up in the valley.  

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Revelation 21:1-4

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Revelation 22:1-5

You will walk from strength to strength, and live like you're in Heaven.

"A few more rolling suns, at most,

Will land thee on fair Canaan's coast."

Thy head may be crowned with thorny troubles now, but it shall wear a starry crown ere long; thy hand may be filled with cares--it shall sweep the strings of the harp of heaven soon. Thy garments may be soiled with dust now; they shall be white by-and-by. Wait a little longer. Ah! how despicable our troubles and trials will seem when we look back upon them! Looking at them here in the prospect, they seem immense; but when we get to heaven we shall then

"With transporting joys recount,

The labours of our feet."

Our trials will then seem light and momentary afflictions. Let us go on boldly; if the night be never so dark, the morning cometh, which is more than they can say who are shut up in the darkness of hell. Do you know what it is thus to live on the future--to live on expectation--to antedate heaven? Happy believer, to have so sure, so comforting a hope. It may be all dark now, but it will soon be light; it may be all trial now, but it will soon be all happiness. What matters it though "weeping may endure for a night," when "joy cometh in the morning?"

{Excerpt from Charles Spurgeon's Morning and Evening}

Is your heart consumed with the highway to Zion?

Do you make your Valley of Weeping a place of springs?

Do you go from strength to strength knowing you will one day appear before the God of Zion?

How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place

Scottish Psalter

Bless’d are they in thy house that dwell,

they ever give thee praise.

Bless’d is the man whose strength thou art,

in whose heart are thy ways:

Who passing through Baca’s vale,

therein do dig up wells;

Also the rain that falleth down

the pools with water fills.

So they from strength unwearied go

still forward unto strength,

Until in Sion they appear

before the Lord at length.

Let it be so in our lives Lord, Let it be so...

**HOUSEKEEPING NOTE**  

I will be taking a blogocation the week of May 29th and will return with an all new post on Monday, June 6th.  :-)

Blessings,

Karen

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