Five Minute Friday: Beyond

Beyond

When I saw the writing prompt “beyond”, this old song by Jim Reeves started playing in my head…

Across the bridge, there’s no more sorrow,
Across the bridge, there’s no more pain;
The sun will shine across the river,
And you’ll never be unhappy again.

All the mindless violence that has been happening around us the past few weeks {the incident in Assam and the shooting in Colorado, just to name a couple}, has left me wondering… Will there ever be a time when such mindless acts cease to be committed? From gory slaughters because of family feuds in south India, to terrorist acts in dozens of countries, our world has ceased to be a place of peace.

What about those of us who believe in Christ? Don’t we too deal with difficulties in our daily lives? We endure pain and hardship and get through it; we grow closer to God and enter a place of rest – only to start climbing the next mountain, or face the next battle. It reminds me of Jesus’ words…

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Well, He basically says that in this world we WILL have trouble. Where then, lies our hope? In Christ alone! When we believe that Jesus, the Son of God, gave His own life to pay for our sins, we receive full pardon; when we choose to follow His ways, rather than ours; we have a hope beyond this world.

The hope that one day we will meet Him face to face in heaven. The hope that one day, there will be no more sorrow, no more pain, no more violence and no more sin. There is a beautiful world God has prepared for us, just beyond this life we’re living.

And that gives us added responsibility. Can we gather as many people as we can, to meet with us on the other side? Do we choose to share our own experience of life in Christ to the millions around us who are lost and hurting? Will we share with them the hope that we’ve found in Christ?

What about our own lives? Do we choose to live in Him now, so we can be with Him in our life beyond?