WEEK THREE: HEAVEN ON EARTH

I have had the awesome privilege of seeing some of the amazing sites that our country affords to us. I have stood at the rim of the Grand Canyon and marveled at its vastness. I have stood next to a giant sequoia tree and looked at its immense size and height. I have hiked to the peak of a 14,000-foot mountain in Colorado and looked out over the world. I have seen Old Faithful in Yellowstone and driven the Highway to the Sun in Glacier National Park. In all of that, there were times that I felt overwhelmed by what I was seeing and thought, “this is almost heaven on earth.” But even with all of this world's majesty and beauty, heaven is so much more. So what does heaven on earth look like?

Well first of all, it’s more than just a magnificent view. Heaven on earth is not about a place; it is about the light of God being shown into a dark world. It is about people who have chosen to follow almighty God who are making a difference right where they live. I have often thought about pivotal situations in history and thought to myself…what if the people involved in those situations hadn’t done the thing that made the outcome what it ended up being? What if they had just decided that it wasn’t worth their time or that it would cost them too much to get involved? What if they had chosen to hate rather than to love and to care?

We are called to be a light in a dark world. One small light in a room full of light seems insignificant, but one small light in a totally dark space becomes easily seen and hard to ignore. Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. It is our responsibility to preserve and to illuminate this world to the ways of God. It is our responsibility to be that to our family, friends, neighborhood, and workplace. It is our church’s responsibility to the representation of Jesus to our community, and when we do it together, we are the greatest representation of heaven on earth that we could ever hope to be.

We all know that sometimes it just seems overwhelming to think that our single, small life could matter. We ask ourselves, “what difference can I make?” But everyone can do something.  Don’t hide your faith! Don’t bury your story! Don’t dim your love! Jesus said, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) It’s not so we get attention; it’s so that God’s kingdom is illuminated and people can see God and his love clearly through you.