Even if Heaven is not real
I was fifteen years old when I received Christ and I can clearly remember the circumstances that got me on my knees in my brothers’ room. Raised by Christian parents meant I knew who Jesus was and His amazing heroic story. I knew about Heaven and hell and prayed every morning and night with my family. I was morally stable and even knew the words to most church hymns because of my mother’s love for them. However, I did not think it was important for me to embrace Christianity beyond my moral accolades until the afternoon the fear of missing Heaven led me to Christ.
While my Christian journey started with the fear of missing a chance to spend eternity in Heaven, over time, it grew into the joy of living my life to honor Christ and spending eternity with Him. Don’t get me wrong, the thought of Heaven still sends tings down my veins. Knowing the streets are paved with gold makes me less in awe of the finest diamond on earth. I love the prospect of living in a place where fear would no longer have a hold on me and where worship is constant. A place without the devil’s antics and where all pain would cease. But getting to know Jesus has given me more than my fear of hell can—I am a child of God.
Speaking to the Pharisees in John 10:10 (NIV), Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” If Christ promises us a full life when we come to Him, it means any life without Christ is incomplete because there was a part of us lost in Eden and accepting Christ unites us back to God. It satisfies our longing for a relationship with our heavenly father and awakens a part of our humanity buried by sin.
No matter what leads you to Jesus, when you know Him, you get more out of the relationship than you hope for. My journey started with a cry for mercy to save me from hell, but He extends a bounty of love to me. I have enjoyed peace in tumultuous situations because He promised it in John 14:27. I have a friend to talk to and a shoulder to cry on when it’s too late and dark to speak to anyone. Christ’s love for me is more real than a billion placard or hashtag can offer. He is more constant than time and space and His presence is my surety.
I will be a fool to give up a love so complete to embrace the despair and uncertainty life outside Christ offers. Yes, Heaven is more real than the world we live in but if all I get out of following Christ is the joy, peace and oneness with God, oblivion to people without Him, I lose nothing. He did not promise me a jolly ride through the earth but He did say He’ll always be with me, (Matthew 28:20) and that is a beam of light in the darkest alley.
“Understanding the depth of the transformation that occurs when we surrender our lives to Christ, gives a more holistic view of our journey. It becomes not just about where we are heading, but how we live before we get there.” Martha Olawale
