Sunday, September 24, 2017

the great chasms

Today I witnessed a beautiful scene of six precious people getting baptized in the midst of our congregation. Every individual had a different story in which God's perfect plan had carried them in their peaks and valleys. It was amazing to witness God's work in their different dispositions regardless of differences in their age, gender, background or race. But what's more amazing was the common thread in their stories that had woven and held them together: the very historical truths of the Gospel. They were once great sinners, lost in their spiritual depravity who absolutely needed a Savior to rescue them. And now that great Savior had called every one of them as sons and daughters. The tears that trickled down while the testimonies were read weren't emotionally charged sentiments but they were pointed reminders for those who have put their faith in Christ: that we too remember where we once were and where we are destined to go...heaven with Jesus. I was overwhelmed by the incredible glimpses of joy of people coming together in prayers and lifting up Our Father's Name, both praising Him at present and future. The thought of eternity in Heaven with my Wellspring family was incredibly overwhelming. But there was a great chasm in the midst of my view. I thought about the scorching battle of cancer that one of our dearest friend have been fighting during last few years. This very momentary thought had evoked a deep grief and sadness to the reality of earthly bodies. For a second, I sensed a mixed feelings to accept this beautiful moment of baptism while knowing that our sister's body is being tarnished by cancer. This was the great divide: the polarity of emotions between sorrow of imperfect body that we have on earth while the glimpses of joy that one day our earthly bodies will no longer hold cancer or shed tears in heaven. You see, we have this imperfect body for now but it's only temporarily because we have a perfect God who gave us a new life now through Christ. But more than that, I thought about how the God of the Gospel is sovereignly perfect in love, in that he allows us to enjoy these moments of gladness while at the same time, we grieve but yearn for Him in Heaven. That's the amazing thing. Some will say that it's schizophrenic: how can you have joy like that when someone else is suffering? Actually we do both. We grieve over the very effects of sin. It's ugly because ultimately we die on earth. But we don't stay there. We can't because that's just not part of the Gospel story. But we look forward to the eternal joy, like forever. The earthly death is what we call a momentary affliction. But the great eternal joy with the Father can and will be experienced full time because He has conquered the eternal death. While we may see it in parts, we shall one day see it in full. That is this incredible joy in Him. For now, we will both grieve and pursue joy together because that's the right thing to do and God empowers us to do so. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2nd Corth 4:17-18