Do the Right Thing

"Do the right thing" is a thought only considered when doing the wrong thing seems like an easy/better choice. Sometimes doing the wrong thing has perks, and the right thing has consequences. This is why people lie on tax returns. Truth will keep them from financial benefit. It's why people lie on dating profiles, because "divorced, has kids, unemployed, drinks regularly" will limit your responses. It's why people beef up their resumes for job interviews...it's actually why we do nearly everything dishonest. We're looking for a better result than we think we'd get from walking the straight and narrow.

I have a funny story. My family and I went on vacation a few
years ago in Orlando, FL and my sisters and I wanted to take the kids to Disney World. We were a little light on funds and had heard about these deep discount ticket sellers, and decided to check them out. The guy at the booth tells us his price. Reasonable. And then he begins to "prep" us for our entry into Disney World.

Ticket Seller: (pantomimes a happy traveler marching to the beat of a drum) So you walk up to the line, happy, smiling, everything is order.

Which, of course, meant everything was actually out of order. I hadn't realized we were buying partially used multi-day passes. I expressed concern, and he assured us that everything would be fine and continued to tell us what we had to do and what he had to say to enjoy the magic that is Disney.

I was out. I couldn't do it. Needless to say, the kids never went to Disney. We had legitimate multi-day passes to Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios, and Harry Potter World. We'd have to be content with that.

Which leads me back to Joseph.*

We left off with Joseph being sold out of the pit into the land of Egypt. He is bought by a wealthy Egyptian official named Potiphar, whose wife is about to have a major issue with contentment.

Can you really blame her?

If you've never read Genesis 39 before, you should check it out. It's the stuff of scandalous Lifetime television. But here's the breakdown.

1. Joseph is bought by Potiphar and becomes like the CEO of this guys business. Joseph is in charge (Genesis 39:1-5)
2. Joseph is super hot. In my mind he's Joe Manganiello...In a tunic. But 17. With a less full beard? Or he's just Joe as he is now. That works for me.  (Genesis 39:6)
3. Potiphar's wife is dropping everything from come-hither looks to blunt requests for a booty call. (Genesis 39:7)
4. Joseph says NO.  (Genesis 39:8)

There's something unique about the way Joseph says no, that really resounded with me:

 “Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge. There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?” 
 - Genesis 39:8-9

Joseph almost waxes poetic about all the good things his master has done for him. So why then would his sin be, not against that master, but against God? Joseph recognized that everything he had was given to him by God. So then, for him to take what God had not given him was a sin against God. I think that's pretty deep. 

Joseph had a lot of power and prestige, but I at the end of the day, he was a bought and paid for slave. We start to feel so big when we get a taste of power, and we hate the thing that makes us feel like "less than". Joseph could have everything but one thing: Potiphar's wife. By having her, he could undoubtedly have more. 

"The tempter was his mistress, one whose favour would help him forward; and it was at his utmost peril if he slighted her, and made her his enemy. The time and place favoured the temptation." - Matthew Henry

To take her up on her offer would be to have more. To pass on it could mean her wrath and fury. Suddenly, there seems to be a pretty steep downside to "do the right thing."

Except, for Joseph there was no upside, because he was already content. Go back to v. 8 and 9 above and see where Joseph's focus is. It's on what he has. It's not on the fact that he was thrown in a pit, sold into slavery, or that he was a servant of God in the service of heathens.

Joseph didn't covet (yearn to possess) that woman/more power/more glory. But...unfortunately, he was coveted. That woman probably had it good. Rich husband, nice house, and servants. It's when she started looking at what she couldn't have that trouble ensued:

1. Potiphar's wife finagles some alone time with Joseph and demands his services. She's even grabbing at his clothes! He runs away leaving his cloak in her hands.  Genesis 39:11-12
2. While he's gone she cries attempted rape, using the cloak as proof. Genesis 39:16-18

Off to jail he goes. At the end of chapter 39, things are looking pretty grim for Joseph. And it makes us mad. He didn't deserve this!  He held on to his integrity and ended up in a freaking dungeon! What's up with that? We'll come to that later, because Joseph's life is a lesson in "everything happens for a reason."

The big deal here is do we have a problem with contentment? Do you behave in the interest of the best result or do you refuse to go outside of God's will for what you don't have (yet)? Are we willing to do the right thing when we know there will be consequences?



*I couldn't think of anything TERRIBLE enough to be of appropriate comparison with Joseph. We lost out on Disney World. Joseph lost out on his freedom, I'm aware of this mismatch in the severity of consequences.

Why are You so Jealous?!

Suddenly nauseous. Hands sweaty as I pick up my blinking phone. Nervous. Hoping (desperately) not for bad news, but rather for status quo. This is the feeling I sometimes get when someone texts me or calls me with what I'm fearing is a revelation of their super awesome happy news. It's not that I don't want them to have happy news, or to be happy in general. I just know their news will make me reflect on my lack of news. And I will start to feel sad and dejected.

True story: I once was on an e-mail chain with 3 other girls. One girl was getting a new job. Another girl was buying a new house. And the third girl was embarking upon a new and exciting relationship. I wanted to reply with:

"I also have great news! ...I just saved a ton of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico!"

The thing is, that would have been a true statement; I was legitimately hype about my $46/mo comprehensive auto insurance! But, by comparison, it simply felt too lame so I kept it to myself and simply congratulated them (honestly) on their happy news. And...then I cried myself to sleep (Psalms 6:6). Just kidding. I didn't cry...that day.

Sometimes though, the comparisons game can create a much more disastrous reaction.

Comparisons and the envy (or in some cases, the gratitude) that it makes us feel can KILL our faith and make us do things that are horrible. It made me think loosely of Joseph, who is next in the Hebrews 11 series.

There's so much to this guy, that I feel like I have to write ALL about him before I get to his Hebrews 11 verse:

By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.

It goes right to the end--literally to his last breath! But the beginning and the middle of the life of Joseph is really awesome. I can't fast forward Joseph! I won't!  If you've never read Genesis 37, I implore you to do so. It's pretty messed up. I'm going to give a quick rundown:

1. Joseph is his father Jacob's golden boy and it makes his 10 brothers hate his guts- Genesis 37:4
2. Joseph is oblivious to this hatred and tells them all about his dreams in which they are all bowing down to him. So they hate him even more - Genesis 37:5-11
3. Joseph goes out to find his brothers tending sheep. They see him from afar and plan to kill him - Genesis 37:18-21
4. They change their minds (killing is just too much) and decide throw him in a pit and then to sell him into slavery instead - Genesis 37:26-28
5. They go back home and tell their father he was eaten by a wild beast. Jacob is devastated.  Genesis 37:31-35

So right off the bat, we have Joseph, a VICTIM of comparisons. Jealous of their father's love for Joseph. Jealous of his wardrobe. Jealous of his dreams. These 10 brothers are super sad and dejected, and as a result: super angry. Right here, with just this chapter, Joseph could play the "who's life sucks more" game and win hands down. But Joseph never plays! Sadly, though, just because you don't play, doesn't mean you're not in the game.

I think it's important to note that Joseph and his brothers are the origination of the tribes of Israel. These are God's people, and they are all in the game. But why?

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight.- James 4:1-2

It's impossible to be both content and envious. To be both happy and jealous. We know this. But the non-spiritual manner in which we go about removing the envy and jealousy to get to contentment/happiness can be brutal.

And so begins a series within a series on the faith of Joseph. Who was content and faithful even following the pit.

But before we go there, think about who you've thrown in a pit...and why.

Adopted: Heirs to Promise

Back at it. Hebrews 11.

In doing this series, I have really come to respect the preachers who do verse by verse sermons as opposed to topical. Both are difficult, I'm sure...but this verse by verse stuff is murder. I always want to skip a verse! I'm always thinking: I don't get it.

So here I am in the Hall of Faith with vs. 21:

By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. - Hebrews 11:21

This seems very similar to the last verse about Isaac blessing Jacob and Esau. Except it's not. Up to this point, there has been a pattern of God giving what, by law, belonged to the elder son to the younger. In every case though, the reason is different: 

1. Ishmael's inheritance went to Isaac. Why? Because Isaac was the son of promise; the result of faith in God. Ishmael was the son of self-reliance, born out of distrust of God (see Galatians 4:22-23)
2. Esau's inheritance went to Jacob. Why? Because of God's sovereign will. The younger will serve the elder. 
3. Manasseh's inheritance went to Ephraim...stop! That's not actually how it goes down.

Manasseh and Ephraim don't get an inheritance from Jacob. They're not his kids. These children are first, adopted by Jacob and then given a standing equal to that of his biological sons.

“Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine..." Genesis 48:5

The blessings they receive are both great. Not like what happened with Ishmael and Esau. Both of
these children have been adopted into the family of God, and the future of both is great. Jacob extended his inheritance to them by faith, knowing the will of God for the two of them corporately and individually. He was blind, and Joseph was guiding his hands over their heads, but by faith he crossed his hands over their heads giving the blessing out according to the will of God.

So what? Who cares? 

I'll agree this is a tough one, but I was moved by the thought "The first shall be last, and the last shall be first" (Matthew 20:1-16).  Both with these children and the workers in the Matthew 20 parable, people receive a part of the inheritance from the Father, but not in the order and not in the amount expected. The work of Christ was so radical. The things he said about salvation and it's application to those who were not Jewish was unheard of. 

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." - Galatians 3:28

All one, all the same, all children of promise with an inheritance from God.

At the end of Jacob's blessing he says:

By you Israel will pronounce blessing, saying,
‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh!

This blessing is still pronounced on sons in Jewish families, and there are a lot of differing opinions about what it means. Some think it's about brothers who don't fight, because they never fought over this blessing like their predecessors. Some think it's about being godly in an ungodly surrounding (Israelites living in Egypt). But I think they were blessed in their adoption. Blessed in being grafted in and raised to the position of son...because that's what we all want. To be heirs together with Jesus Christ. To be claimed by God. 

So...may God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh. 

Shalom.

The Justice System Works? Thoughts on Trayvon Martin

My blog is generally of a spiritual nature. But I felt like I had to put in my two cents about Trayvon Martin.  

Disclaimer: It's legitimately my two cents. A lot of people will disagree with me and that's fine. Some might agree with me, and I don't really care about that either. This is not about changing minds or educating someone. I'm just getting my feelings out there. I tried to think of ways to tie it in to the biblical principles for which I stand...like Martin Luther King did. And I came up empty. Please feel free to leave me some verses for encouragement.

I often marvel at Dr. King because he preached a message of love, forgiveness and turning the other cheek in a time when it was obvious that our justice system was broken. That was 50+ years ago. And now, in the wake of this case, many are asking us to respect the justice system and say that the verdict we received is an example of a healthy justice system at work, but I have to wonder:

When did it start working?

It didn't work when Emmitt Till's murderers were acquitted. They were acquitted and 1 year later made a confession in Look magazine. Emmitt Till's crime? He whistled at a white woman while buying candy at the grocery store. They were paid $4,000 by the magazine; profiting cheaply off of the murder of a 14 year old boy who was invaluable to his mother.

We no longer live in the same world that Emmitt Till was murdered in. I understand and believe that.  But I wondered if we're glimpsing it. Maybe next year George Zimmerman will confess to his crime, and get paid something greater than the $30,000 a month he's been making for the past two years (profiting handsomely if I must say so). Or maybe he didn't commit a crime and that money is restitution for his pain and suffering at being wrongly accused. I will leave room for that. Perhaps he really acted in self-defense. The justice system says the killing of Trayvon Martin was justified. However, something worries me...

There's no lesson. There's no advice.

Trayvon Martin didn't know George Zimmerman even existed. He didn't target that man, he didn't follow that man. Trayvon wasn't a gangbanger. He wasn't a robber. He wasn't a rapist. He wasn't even in the wrong place at the wrong time (as this "place" is often in the path of a stray bullet, at a night club, on the sidelines of a street fight, etc., etc.). Rather, he simply wanted some candy, much like Emmitt Till did. Perhaps candy is the lesson? Don't eat it. It rots your teeth and it might get you killed. Or maybe it's similar to the lesson society teaches young women: don't walk alone at night. For us women, we're told not to make ourselves easy prey to depraved men who might rape and murder us. Likewise, is the answer is to tell black youths: don't go outside at night, because someone might be afraid of you? That person might follow you, and engage you in first a verbal, then physical altercation. Suddenly, the answer hits me and I think: in the event of the aforementioned, Don't fight back. If you fight back, they can kill you with impunity. If you don't fight back...maybe they'll stop. Or, if you don't fight back, and they still kill you, there is a chance you'll get justice.

Don't fight back.

Sure, it backtracks us more than 50 years to a time when we stepped off the sidewalk so as not to be in the way of white people. "Don't fight back" speaks to a time when we willingly sat in the back of the bus. "Don't fight back" speaks to a time when we used separate bathrooms because white people were afraid of our germs. "Don't fight back" speaks to consented "learning" in segregated elementary schools (like the one that my own mother attended).  "Don't fight back" was the underbelly of the laws that prevented black people from coming into contact with white people as equals. "Don't fight back" also extended into our courtrooms, just ask Mamie Till, the parents of the Scottsboro boys, and maybe now...the Martins.

I like to think that I'm exaggerating. I like to believe that the Martins aren't an echo of the Tills. I like to believe that what happened in Florida is an isolated incident, and that the little boys with dark skin that are important parts of my life are immune to the kind of death Trayvon Martin suffered. People ask me to respect the justice system, because it works. I thought it worked in a "if you don't wanna do the time, don't do the crime" sort of way. But if the person who pulled the trigger finds justification through our justice system, that means the culpable party was...Trayvon. If I am to believe that our justice system works, he did something wrong, but I need help figuring out what it is.

This isn't about white vs. black for me. For me, it's about minimizing risk, and for that I need to pinpoint the mistake Trayvon made that led to his demise and the subsequent release of his killer. I'm desperately trying to think of a way to tell my nephews Kenny, Kayden, Gabriel, Jhalil, and Caeli how to avoid the fate of Trayvon Martin, and all I can think of is "don't fight back." And that truly terrifies me.

I Changed my Mind!

A couple of weeks ago, I was feeling a bit like life sucked. For various reasons which come and go. And I just thought: Why does it have to be like this? Then I started to think about Isaac (who is next in the Hebrews 11 series) and all the things he suffered.

Wa-ait. What did Isaac suffer?

Per Wikipedia:

"Isaac was the only biblical patriarch whose name was not changed, and the only one who did not leave Canaan. Compared to those of Abraham and Jacob, Isaac's story relates fewer incidents of his life. He died when he was 180 years old, making him the longest-lived patriarch."

Isaac living the dream

Isaac was married, he loved his wife, he had two sons (twins Jacob and Esau), and he died snug in his bed at an overripe old age. Sounds lovely. Why would such a person...a person seemingly untested wind up in the Hall of Faith?

By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future - Hebrews 11:20

Stumped. Why is this a big deal? Why is it an act of faith for Isaac to bless his children? It's a big deal because this is both Isaac's suffering and his claim to fame. It's a big deal because in the end Isaac didn't get what he wanted, but rather had to submit to what God wanted.

Isaac had made Esau his choice, but God's choice was Jacob.

God's choice regarding them is revealed to Rebekah prior to their births:

And the Lord said to her,“Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.”

 - Genesis 25:23

Romans 9:11-13 states that God made choice of them before any wrong had been done on the part of Jacob or Esau. Before there was an older or a younger, before Esau sold his birthright (Genesis 25:29-34), God said: "I choose Jacob." 

Why?! Unknown. This kills me. I wish I could know...but I don't. I just have to accept that God's sovereign will is right.

Why the little dogs? Why does one have a chef's hat?!

Isaac couldn't accept this, at first. Knowing what the Lord had revealed to Rebekah (b/c, let's trust she didn't keep this a secret), Isaac still planned to bless Esau with the blessing God had already apportioned to Jacob. Why? Because Isaac really loved his son Esau. But we know the story, Jacob dressed up like Esau in order to trick Isaac into blessing him (see Genesis 27; yep, the whole chapter).

But, I'm still like: where is the faith?

The faith is in that Isaac decided to trust God's choice. You can see it in the way he blesses Esau, and in the way he accepts and confirms the blessing on Jacob.

Then Isaac trembled very violently and said, “Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.”

- Genesis 27:33

There's a lot of thoughts on "trembled very violently." Maybe he trembled because he was PO'd. Maybe he trembled because he realized he had been fighting against God's will as expressed in Genesis 25:23. Regardless, I hear acceptance and burgeoning faith in "Yes". Sometimes it take us a long time to get to "Yes".  And after that he blesses Esau with the blessing God had chosen for him, a life of service to Jacob. For a time. It's not what Isaac wanted for his favorite son, but it's what he blessed him with, according to God's will.

What does this have to do with me? I think maybe I have a hard time getting to "Yes." It seems faithless (to me) to try everything else in your power only to succumb to "Yes." But clearly, God will even count our reluctant submission as righteousness.

I shall end with this parable: 

“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’“‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. 

“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said,“Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. 

 - Matthew 21:28-32

The first son changed his mind. He thought better of his own way, and found himself doing the will of the Father. He believed what the Father wanted of him was better. That kind of faith counts.

We can change our minds too.

Trusting is Hard!

How have I gone so long without writing a post? I think it's because I'm a little stuck at Abraham. Abraham is referred to as "friend of God" in the scripture (James 2:23). I've had a lot of friends in my life. People who I have loved and been loved by. But...did I trust them all the way? I feel like there was still an insecure moment every now and again. The whole trust thing...it's hard for me.

Trust is the assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something. 

In a previous post  ("Do I Know You") I mentioned how there is always something hidden; there's always something I don't know. And so assurance is hard to come by without a leap of faith. 

When you take a leap of faith, you recognize that this is a long shot. There is a moment of hesitation. There is this closing-your-eyes-and-going for it feeling to it, which makes it "risky" in a sense. We know that God promised Abraham many descendants through Isaac. Sarah gave birth to him, miraculously in her old age. All for God to say: 
  
“Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. - Genesis 22:2-3

I read this, and I think: where was the hesitation? Where was the "why God?" moment? Where was the begging and pleading? At least sleep in Abraham! Why isn't he freaking out? He got up early...to kill his promise!

  
People who don't hesitate have one of two mindsets (I think):

1. I have nothing to lose
2. What will be, will be

Am I to believe Isaac was this buff at 13?

But for me, in my life, I always feel like there is something at stake! I can always either have A or B. Not both. Not ever. And it's because I don't think eternally. Abraham is an eternal thinker, so he has the assurance that he will 1) lose nothing that God has promised him, and 2) that what God said would be, WOULD be no matter what. 

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, "In Isaac your descendants shall be called." He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead... - Hebrews 11:17-19

At the time of Abraham, no on had EVER been raised from the dead. So how did Abraham set his mind to think the resurrection of his son--killed by his hand and burned on that mountain--was possible?!

Because God promised him.

And Abraham trusted God. He relied on what he knew about the character, ability, strength, and truth of God. He was solid on it, and it's shocking to me. A resurrection is the foundation of Christian belief...today. But for Abraham it was impossible; but he knew that his promise wouldn't die on that mountain. And it amazes me. It amazes me because I'm quick to give up on the most basic of promises: 

"If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. - John 14:14

I can get discouraged. I can stop asking for the things that I want/stop praying altogether because it doesn't look possible anymore. But that's because I'm 1) not thinking eternally and 2) I'm not trusting in God's character, ability, strength, and truth. 

But Abraham had to get to this point. He had to get to this place. At one point, he thought his promise was shaky enough that he took a concubine in order to have a son. Then, once he actually had the son...he was willing to KILL him, believing that the promise was still intact?! How did he come to this level of faith? 

...but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. - Romans 5:3-5

It's a process. We can all get there. Romans 5 is written on the heels of Paul speaking to the righteousness that Abraham found through faith. So Abraham obtained his "ride-or-die" attitude the same way I will obtain mine. Now I just wonder: who will I amaze with my faith?

When Does Forever Start?

When does forever start?

That’s the question that has been on my mind for the past couple of days. The question in itself is mind-blowing to me, because I feel like there could be numerous answers:

1. Forever starts when you die. The after-life is the beginning of eternity for the individual.
2. Forever is now, has always been, and will always be. We exist in time, but God has always been outside of it, existing in eternity.
3. Forever doesn’t exist. Time is a natural limitation and everything is boxed in by it. Everyone and everything has a definitive “end.”

I think I'm the cookie...

You might think this question weighed on my mind as a result of heavy, spiritual issues. Perhaps you imagine me poring over my Bible, flipping through the pages, madly trying to determine when I first taste eternity. But you would be wrong. This question came to me as I pondered the arrogance of a phrase that I use all the time: BFF. 

Best. Friends. Forever. 

My BFF, June,  (of the “we-almost-died-in-Baltimore” and other blogs) is moving away this week. Driving off to Austin, TX…never to be seen or heard from again. OK OK. I’m sure I’ll see/hear from her again, but currently it feels like the “forever” just dropped out of our happy acronym.

And crazily, this made me think more about Abraham and Sarah. 

Prior to June’s declaration that she was moving…I didn’t doubt the “forever.” Our friendship was good. But then circumstances started to change, and everything started to feel “short-term.” And so it was with Abraham and Sarah. I think in the beginning their faith in the promises and constancy of God was really strong. But then circumstances began to change: Sarah started to feel old, heck...she started to actually BE old, and suddenly the eternal promise of God had an expiration date. 

I read somewhere that short-term thinkers tend to be desperate. I think they tend to be crazy. I say this because there is a ticking clock in the background of their every moment. Imagine that if you will…a loudly ticking clock counting down your chance at happiness, and you can hear it every second of your waking life. Such a person is on-edge to say the least (i.e. never at peace). On-edge people say and do DUMB things. Sarah offered another woman (Hagar) to the husband that she loved in order to produce an heir that God told Sarah she would give birth to. How did TWO extremely faith-filled individuals do something so rash? Their focus shifted. Their focus shifted off of the promises of God and onto their situation. It shifted off of God’s power and onto their frailty. It shifted off of God’s sovereignty and onto their knowledge of the natural order. It shifted from eternal to short-term. 

And we do this all the time. Imagine the area of your life that is super manic. And realize it's because of short-term thinking. We need to identify those areas because it is in short-term thinking that mistakes get made. But it is in thinking eternally that we can find true peace and rest on God's promises. And so this blog is a call to think and to live eternally. But there has to be a starting point.  

Which leads me back to my question: When does forever start? 

…all these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own... But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them - Hebrews 11: 13 - 16 (excerpts)

This scripture says they died in faith, yet the scripture speaks about them as if they are alive. They “desire” in the present tense! But this is the clincher: God is not ashamed to be called their God:

“He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” - Luke 20:38

He’s the God of the living. So the only question then is: Are. You. Alive? 

How is it that Abraham and Sarah came to live eternally? By faith. By thinking eternally. In the previous blog, I spoke on how God had turned Sarah (and Abraham too) back to faith, and it was in the interest of eternity. God's plan for us is about more than the carnal promises. It was about more than creating a physical bloodline. But it was about them “seeking a country”! God wants us thinking eternally so we can live eternally WITH Him! 

Just as with Abraham and Sarah, so it is with us. Forever starts with belief. 

…having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. - Colossians 2:12

People are always telling me to live in the moment…but why? Why would I live in a moment when forever is available to me? Just saying. 

But wait! What about June?! The situation with June, it is an earthly one. I was thinking short-term because it’s hard to imagine maintaining the same level of relationship from 1,513 miles away, but I believe in us. And forever starts with belief, right? To be 100% honest there is only one way to ensure that we are legitimate BFFs. And that is for both of us to access “forever” through faith in Jesus Christ. Then, we are guaranteed forever, in some capacity. I say “in some capacity” because we know that there is no marriage or giving in marriage in heaven (Matthew 22:30), so maybe there’s no best friends or pinky swearing to best friendship…BUT I certainly hope that there is.