“And as He spoke, He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them.  And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they lived happily ever after.  But for them it was only the beginning of the real story.  All their life in this world and all their adventures… had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has ever read: which goes on for ever; in which every chapter is better than the one before.”

                                                            -C.S. Lewis

There’s a direct conflict I always find as a human when I try to think of eternity.  No matter how open I try to make my mind, my finite brain puts a beginning and end to all things.  It’s so hard for us to comprehend the miniscule amount of time that constitutes our time on earth as just that, instead of the totality of our existence. It’s one of the many things that for me, falls under the umbrella of “My ways are not your ways, and My thoughts are not your thoughts.”  Because of that, I think I speak for most people when I say that I tend not to think too often about eternity, because in the end it’s a matter of faith rather than reason.

On Thursday night, my mom went to be with her sweet Jesus.  I think one of the things about her faith that always stood out to me was her deep, intimatelove for Him.  She had such a clear picture of who He was and what He has done for us, that it was impossible for her to express anything but undying love and devotion.  The past 6 months had been some of the hardest times of her life, but she also expressed (often on here) how sweet her times with Jesus had been throughout this entire struggle.  And although none of us still on this earth were ready for her to leave, we take comfort in knowing that her pain, her weariness, her worry, and her sorrow are all no more.  She is now fully wrapped in the arms of Jesus, and He is telling her “Well done, good and faithful servant.  You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:23)

My mom’s entire life after she came to know the Lord was about two things: loving people like Jesus, and telling people about Him.  Above everything, she would want you to know this: that we are messed up people.  Even before we were born, the Scriptures say that we inherited being messed up from Adam and Eve as their descendants.  But God had a plan to fix that from before the earth was created.  He knew that the penalty for our sin (mess ups) was death, and that the only way to pay for that was for someone else to die.  So he sent His Son to earth, to live a life as a man, and then die a death that He didn’t deserve in our place.  Through Jesus’ death, our sins are completely covered by His love and grace.  All He requires is for us to put our faith and trust in Him to be the payment for our sins.  Jesus is calling out to you, waiting for you to accept the free gift that he’s offering. My mom is experiencing that gift in its fullness in a way that is indescribable by earthly words.  And we look forward to the day where we see her again, and rejoice together in the presence of Jesus, where each day is better than the last.

With love,

Carter