Everyone Wants To Go To Heaven, But Nobody Wants To Die

 Heaven is pretty cool right? Gold stuff and pearly gates. Lots of singing, light and kiff houses everywhere. No crying or evil or injustice. Sounds like a trip. If heaven was conclusively proven, I don't think anyone would be unamped about going there. 

But to get to heaven you've got to die. And that's where my eyebrows perk up. I want to go to heaven, but I can’t say that death stokes me too much. It’s kinda painful. Its the ultimate fail of your body. That doesn't sound inviting.

Not only is it painful but its lank risky. What if I don’t wake up on the other side? What if I just die? What if I wake up and I’m not in heaven? And I’m not just talking about heaven as in the-heaven-in-the-sky. I’m talking about right now. I’m talking about the constant dying to self that we are called to. If I say “Lord not my way but yours” that’s kinda risky. That’s dying to what I want, and hoping and trusting that He will pull me through it all.

Giving up my life and what I want is hard. Everything about being human makes me want to keep control. I want to control how people perceive me, how God perceives me, what I do next in my life, and what I do right now. Giving up my life will mean casting aside my petty insecurities and coping mechanisms that give me so much fake comfort, giving up my future career, my five-year-plan, my money, my house. Giving all to follow Christ.

If I’m going to do this Christian thing I’m supposed to pick up my cross and follow Jesus. And last time I checked, carrying a cross to my death is not the fun part. I want the dessert but I don’t want to eat my peas and carrots. I want to get the sweet stuff without putting in the hard yards. 

I think what God is teaching me is that death gives place for resurrection. Death is not the end, it’s more like beginning. It’s the start of this awesome race with a living, inter-acting God. One of my favourite verses in the Bible is from 2 Corinthians 12 and it says “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."

Death is the ultimate weakness. You can’t get more sick than dead. That means that the ultimate strength is shown by God when He conquers death. When we die, we allow God to show off how awesome He is. It’s not easy and I often get it wrong, and I’m sure you do too. But today, today I choose to pick up the cross and go and die.

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