The Hope of Heaven

Lately, I have had the time to pick up a book I read almost daily in the spring. I have been deeply encouraged by the content and last night was no exception. Here was a quote written by Elisabeth Elliot that has spurred much thought:

There are many things that God does not fix perfectly because He loves us. Instead of extracting us from the problem, He calls us. In our sorrow or loneliness or pain He calls--"This is a necessary part of the journey. Even if it is the roughest part, it is only a part, and it will not last the whole long way. Remember where I am leading you. Remember what you will find at the end--a home and a haven and a heaven."

Earlier in the chapter she described the road we often walk in life as one of torture--as one of hardship and loss. However, she encourages her readers repeatedly to embrace and accept this "torture", not fighting what God is doing in our lives but rather looking beyond the heartache to the hope of what is to come--the hope of heaven, the hope of a haven with Christ, the hope of our final home!

What a timely reminder. In the midst of pain, we are being fashioned and formed by a Heavenly Maker who knows us intimately and ultimately knows what is needed to prepare us for our final destination. He allows us to go through the hardships of life that we might know more deeply His great love for us, that we might look more like Him, giving greater glory and honor to the One whom all is due.