Mankind is so tied to earth that we may fumble in the way heaven deals with us. To communicate with earth may be, for God, not unlike the difference between a parent and child. The parent is heard to say to the child, in a conversation dealing with a sophisticated concern: Trust me in this, we will work it out and you will be happy with it. The trusting child does not ask for documentation, or written contract, or an advance on the promise – or anything more than the word of someone the child loves, is dependent upon, and finds the promise to be enough. There is analogy here, in that earth experience is a shadow of heaven experience. Life, wherever it may be found, possesses some reflective features. There is love in mortal life and in human nature. There is perfect love in heaven’s life and in the nature of God. Similar lines of comparison/contrast may be continued for numerous themes. The basic concepts are similar, but not the same. The perfect sometimes seems threatening in an imperfect world.
Dimensions of this or that outside the limitations of earth are mind boggling. They are beyond the language capsules of nature. We do not have the words for them, partly because we do not know what some of them are. If we did there may be only a few persons (perhaps none) who could absorb or manage them. This happens for the masses even in the context of nature. There are known and suspected factors of the areas of physics that are beyond the understanding of most persons. I remember vividly the words of my science teacher in high school when I asked what some of the Einstein theories meant, especially in relativity. Her response was that she felt there were only a few persons who understood Einstein, and we trusted them to help us make Einstein plausible. That was 1937. We now know. There is a sense in which God tells us to trust him, and, in the end, the understanding, the ultimate experiences, will occur.
To get there we must have faith. Not a faith born of natural characteristics, but a faith reinforced by God. A faith that comes from God must be genuine to accept the massive truths of the universe, the perfection, the omnipotence, the omniscience, the omnipresence of God. The affirmatives are further challenged in our minds by the presence of evil that include the imperfections of mankind so to mar or blot the ideal mind with ignorance, suffering, horrors – and so the story might be extended. In nature there is decay and death.
To this, God offers various helps related to Scripture, prayer, meaning and his presence in the Holy Spirit that will provide patience for ultimate answers – to ultimate experience. The Father is asking his children, Will you trust me? In this he offers assistance by building faith, which relates to trust. The weakness in this is that our trust in mortal life is often misplaced, or those violating their promises wound our belief in trust. Trust is a beautiful experience. There remain those persons who believe that a handshake on an agreement can be greater than a name on a contract. When one has engaged in such a transaction, believing the word of both parties to the agreement, there is a kind of elevation in the exchange that is difficult to describe. I have enjoyed several such meaningful exchanges. I would not want to lose them. I would not want some other system to guide these particular events. Trust seems somewhat diluted in this present era, but the possibilities continue for the few who act in genuine trust. Trust doesn’t stand up in court rooms. The citizenry thinks court. God thinks love, faith and trust. He even trusts human beings.
The Christian holds trust in the word of God. The words of Jesus are the words of one who can be trusted. What he promised will occur. What he said he would do: he will do. Those closest to him were so convinced of his words they were willing to die for that trust, and urged others to accept the same faith, perhaps the same human consequences. We are impressed how early Christians accepted martyrdom, believing themselves to be honored of God to make sacrifice of self in trust. They would sometimes tie pieces of fresh meat to their bodies to be first to the lions. That may seem bizarre to us. It was worship for them. The serious Christian, seeking, is willing to devote some time to the thought of faith to solutions, especially in redemptive purpose. Scripture informs us that seeking, we find *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020