Tidbits for Thought

HEAVENLY JOURNEY

John 14:1-4 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God and trust

also in me. In my Father’s house there are many rooms; if that were

not so I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place or

you. And if go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take

you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the

place where I am going.”

In the above Scripture reference, Jesus gives to all Christians, a

sweeping promise that assures us that when we arrive at our final

destination, He will be there and have a place prepared for us. The is

one of many, many beautiful promises that Jesus articulated in his

short time on earth and is one, among the many, that gives every

believer a solid rock on which to stand amidst the storms of life. They

are words that have comforted millions of troubled lives and given

meaning to legions of suffering souls.

Our Christian journey toward heaven is a walk through a world that is

a complete paradox. On any given day there is a good chance that we

might encounter the ugliness of hate and bigotry in places where we

least expect it. We have a very good chance of encountering the

homeless whose presence among us is like the shadow of failure….

failure of our society to recognize mental illness or the results of

addiction. Many days we might come face-to face with the plight of

the immigrant among us…. living in fear and dread in a land that

promises freedom and justice for all. We might observe the

devastation of childhood hunger manifested in the lines at community

food banks, punctuated by the haunted looks of futility on the faces of

parents simply trying to feed their child in a country that throws out

enough food daily to feed millions of individuals.

On the other hand, each day provides the opportunity for Christians to

offset these dark and ugly spots in humanity by actively looking for or

participating in acts of beauty and kindness throughout the day. A

simple warm and sincere smile can ease some pain for those who are

burdened with challenges that seem to have no end. The gift of a few

dollars or a sandwich to a homeless drifter gives not only food but a

brief moment of respect when the image of Christ shines in the

darkness. Time spent listening to another soul sharing their thoughts

and grief is a time that is, perhaps, worth more than a king’s ransom.

An unexpected act of kindness, however small, might give fresh hope

to one who is struggling.

When our journey to heaven is punctuated by these small acts of

beauty and kindness, we are not only reflecting Christ into a dark

world but we enhance our own lives in ways that cannot even begin to

be explained. Suzy Kassem, an astute and powerful writer, captured

this thought when she wrote, “I have been finding treasures in places I

did not want to search. I have been hearing wisdom from tongues I did

not want to listen. I have been finding beauty where I did not want to

look. And I have learned so much from journeys I did not want to

take.” Think about it!      ~ Aron Smith