Renee Andrews's Blog - Posts Tagged "heaven"
Death and Heaven...through the eyes of my grandsons
“The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass. I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.” ~ Revelation 21:22-23
I’m going to assume you’ve seen the children’s movies that have come out the last few years; if not, you may want to skip over this devotion to avoid spoilers.
Two years ago, I took Alanus and Jerry to see Croods. This was my first time to take the boys to a movie, because they’d only been living with my son and daughter-in-law for a few months, since their birth mother passed away. The movie barely started when my cell rang. Because their birth father was dying of cancer, I answered in the theater, and I received the message that he wasn’t doing well, and my son and daughter-in-law were on their way to the theater to pick up the boys and take them to see their dad for what they believed would be the last time.
Alanus and Jerry’s father passed away a week before Father’s Day. As you have learned from my earlier devotions, Rene and Ariel adopted our precious grandboys after their birth parents passed on.
Since that time, I’ve taken the boys to many animated movies, and I’ve noticed an unsettling trend: the parents die. Not always, but often. I’ve learned that this wasn’t the case in Croods, but I never saw the remainder of the movie. However, examples of movies we’ve seen: How to Train Your Dragon 2 (the father); Frozen (both parents); The Lion King (the father); Finding Nemo (the mother). But I’ve never been so affected by a parent’s death in a movie as I am when I’m sitting beside Alanus and Jerry, because they’ve experienced it. I cry, not because of the characters, but because of these adorable boys. But do you know what they did when the parents died on Frozen and when the daddy died on How to Train Your Dragon 2? They asked me, “Did they go to Heaven, KK?” (I’m KK, by the way, and I adore it every time they say it.)
There is such beauty in their innocent question. They do not see death with fear, but with life, eternal life. They know their “first mommy” and “first daddy,” as they call them, are in Heaven and are happy. They know that they will go to Heaven and see them again someday. They also know that their new mommy and daddy, as well as Pops and KK, and a ton of other relatives love them dearly. Alanus and Jerry see death as a path to the city described by John in the verse above. I praise God for that, and I ask Him to let me remember that the sadness is for those here; there is no sadness, no darkness, no sickness there. How beautiful Heaven must be!
This Week: Bring out pictures of loved ones who have passed on. Don’t look at them with sadness, but with the knowledge that they are in that amazingly stunning place, and then say aloud, “How beautiful Heaven must be!”Mondays with Jesus 2015
I’m going to assume you’ve seen the children’s movies that have come out the last few years; if not, you may want to skip over this devotion to avoid spoilers.
Two years ago, I took Alanus and Jerry to see Croods. This was my first time to take the boys to a movie, because they’d only been living with my son and daughter-in-law for a few months, since their birth mother passed away. The movie barely started when my cell rang. Because their birth father was dying of cancer, I answered in the theater, and I received the message that he wasn’t doing well, and my son and daughter-in-law were on their way to the theater to pick up the boys and take them to see their dad for what they believed would be the last time.
Alanus and Jerry’s father passed away a week before Father’s Day. As you have learned from my earlier devotions, Rene and Ariel adopted our precious grandboys after their birth parents passed on.
Since that time, I’ve taken the boys to many animated movies, and I’ve noticed an unsettling trend: the parents die. Not always, but often. I’ve learned that this wasn’t the case in Croods, but I never saw the remainder of the movie. However, examples of movies we’ve seen: How to Train Your Dragon 2 (the father); Frozen (both parents); The Lion King (the father); Finding Nemo (the mother). But I’ve never been so affected by a parent’s death in a movie as I am when I’m sitting beside Alanus and Jerry, because they’ve experienced it. I cry, not because of the characters, but because of these adorable boys. But do you know what they did when the parents died on Frozen and when the daddy died on How to Train Your Dragon 2? They asked me, “Did they go to Heaven, KK?” (I’m KK, by the way, and I adore it every time they say it.)
There is such beauty in their innocent question. They do not see death with fear, but with life, eternal life. They know their “first mommy” and “first daddy,” as they call them, are in Heaven and are happy. They know that they will go to Heaven and see them again someday. They also know that their new mommy and daddy, as well as Pops and KK, and a ton of other relatives love them dearly. Alanus and Jerry see death as a path to the city described by John in the verse above. I praise God for that, and I ask Him to let me remember that the sadness is for those here; there is no sadness, no darkness, no sickness there. How beautiful Heaven must be!
This Week: Bring out pictures of loved ones who have passed on. Don’t look at them with sadness, but with the knowledge that they are in that amazingly stunning place, and then say aloud, “How beautiful Heaven must be!”Mondays with Jesus 2015
The View Above the Clouds
Mondays with Jesus 2017: Devotions to Begin Each Week of the Year“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:2-4
A dear friend is traveling this week and sent a photo she took from the window seat of the plane. She titled it, “The view above the clouds.” I was amazed at the beauty, at the way the white clouds looked golden beneath the sun, the way the sky positioned between the sun and clouds mirrored Caribbean blue water and at the way my heart felt peace, simply by admiring the perfection of God’s beauty.
I don’t fly as often as I used to, but I always thought that picturesque view probably resembled the scene in Heaven. I imagined those streets of gold, transparent as glass, pearly white gates, city walls covered in precious jewels. That was surely the best way to describe the beauty of Heaven.
But then I realized…I was so very wrong. The true beauty of Heaven won’t have anything to do with pearly gates, golden streets or jeweled walls, and for me to equate it to such things—things—devalues the magnitude of beauty God has planned for us at His Home. Because the true beauty of Heaven isn’t described in the verses that center Revelation 21. It’s described in those verses above:
There will be no more tears, no more death, no more mourning, no more pain. And the ultimate true beauty of Heaven is that God will dwell among His people. He will dwell among us! Praise God! I can’t imagine anything more beautiful than that!
This Week: Get up early enough to see the sun rise, at least once. Plan your evening to see the sun set, at least once. Imagine that the night never comes, and neither do tears, of suffering or pain. Thank God that, in your future, you will encounter a day where the sun never sets!
Heavenly Reunion...
Mondays with Jesus 2017: Devotions to Begin Each Week of the Year“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household.” Ephesians 2:19
Each year, our extended family gets together for the traditional family reunion. When my Granny Bowers was living, she would organize the event, which always took place at Noccalula Falls, a beautiful park near my hometown that features a 90-foot waterfall, trails and playgrounds for children. It’s a stunning place to visit, but even more so when you consider that your family members will travel from all over to gather together and enjoy a meal, visit and catch up on life each year.
I always enjoy seeing the new babies (grandbabies in my case), meeting those who have recently joined the family through marriage, etc. Occasionally, I’ll have to pull my mom or dad aside and ask someone’s name (everyone changes a little with age, and my memory sure isn’t what it used to be.) But this year, two men joined the event that no one recognized. And I wasn’t the only person pulling others aside to find out the identity of the newcomers.
Eventually, we realized that my cousin Lisa, who now organizes the reunion, had inadvertently tagged the two on Facebook, because they happened to have the same last name as our family. And so they saw the invitation, brought a covered dish, and drove an hour to attend a reunion with a family they had never met. (You can laugh – we all did.) But what was even more interesting is that, after talking with the two for a while, we learned that we really are related…way on down the line.
One day, we will gather, like these men, with a family that we haven’t met before, but a family that shares our name. Christians. And what an amazing family reunion that will be!
This Week: Call a family member that you haven’t seen in a while. Feel the excitement of reconnecting, learning about everything that has happened in their life, and then imagine reconnecting with your family members that have passed on…and with all of the amazing family you haven’t even met! Praise God!
Renee Andrews
Let's Go Camping!
Mondays with Jesus 2017: Devotions to Begin Each Week of the Year
“I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” Romans 1:11-12
If I had to choose my favorite family vacations, I wouldn’t list those where we stayed in a hotel or had someone preparing our meals or making our beds. In fact, I’d probably choose the trips that involve the most work, our treasured camping trips.
Camping? Treasured?
Yes. And yes.
Ever since our boys were little, we’ve had family camping trips, as well as camping trips that involved groups of friends, often our friends from church. We typically arrive in the evening, pitch our tents and then find ourselves lulled to sleep by crickets, owls and frogs. Since most of our camping locations are away from any type of town, the sky is pitch black…except for those magnificent stars. All of God’s creation just seems more vivid, more real, when you get away from the hustle of the world and take a chance to breathe.
On these trips, our days are filled with children riding bicycles, running and playing around a campground. Afternoons and evenings find us all cooking together, then sitting around a campfire where we chat and laugh and sing. We roast hot dogs and marshmallows over an open fire (marshmallows are inevitably nestled against a chunk of chocolate and placed between two graham crackers for s’mores).
Because we’ve moved several times over the years, the friends that accompany us on our camping trips have changed due to proximity. However, the families that have shared those special times with us are still some of our closest friends today. There’s something to be said for encouraging each other’s faith together, particularly when you are doing something that reminds you of your Lord.
And, perhaps because God is so clearly on display during these precious times, conversations often center around Him, around our faith and around our appreciation toward our Creator.
Are you wanting to take a camping trip yet? I know I am.
Why are those vacations so much more memorable than the ones where we were waited on hand and foot?
Because of the fellowship. The time spent together enjoying each other’s company. The meals created together and then consumed together. The joy of marveling over God’s creation…together. It is as if we’re glimpsing heaven. And it makes me look forward to that amazing fellowship we’ll experience there, with our Lord!
This Week: Plan a camping trip. Invite some friends and enjoy the beauty of God’s world and the fellowship of God’s people.
Renee Andrews
“I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong—that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” Romans 1:11-12If I had to choose my favorite family vacations, I wouldn’t list those where we stayed in a hotel or had someone preparing our meals or making our beds. In fact, I’d probably choose the trips that involve the most work, our treasured camping trips.
Camping? Treasured?
Yes. And yes.
Ever since our boys were little, we’ve had family camping trips, as well as camping trips that involved groups of friends, often our friends from church. We typically arrive in the evening, pitch our tents and then find ourselves lulled to sleep by crickets, owls and frogs. Since most of our camping locations are away from any type of town, the sky is pitch black…except for those magnificent stars. All of God’s creation just seems more vivid, more real, when you get away from the hustle of the world and take a chance to breathe.
On these trips, our days are filled with children riding bicycles, running and playing around a campground. Afternoons and evenings find us all cooking together, then sitting around a campfire where we chat and laugh and sing. We roast hot dogs and marshmallows over an open fire (marshmallows are inevitably nestled against a chunk of chocolate and placed between two graham crackers for s’mores).
Because we’ve moved several times over the years, the friends that accompany us on our camping trips have changed due to proximity. However, the families that have shared those special times with us are still some of our closest friends today. There’s something to be said for encouraging each other’s faith together, particularly when you are doing something that reminds you of your Lord.
And, perhaps because God is so clearly on display during these precious times, conversations often center around Him, around our faith and around our appreciation toward our Creator.
Are you wanting to take a camping trip yet? I know I am.
Why are those vacations so much more memorable than the ones where we were waited on hand and foot?
Because of the fellowship. The time spent together enjoying each other’s company. The meals created together and then consumed together. The joy of marveling over God’s creation…together. It is as if we’re glimpsing heaven. And it makes me look forward to that amazing fellowship we’ll experience there, with our Lord!
This Week: Plan a camping trip. Invite some friends and enjoy the beauty of God’s world and the fellowship of God’s people.
Renee Andrews
The Narrow Road...
Mondays with Jesus 2017: Devotions to Begin Each Week of the Year“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13-14
I’ve mentioned how much we love to camp, and when we camp, we also enjoy hiking, especially when those hikes allow us to see things that we would miss when traveling by car or motorcycle.
If you’ve ever traveled the mountains of North Georgia, you’ve probably heard about the abundance of hiking trails in the area. You may have even driven past the signs that noted a trail path nearby. If you did drive past, you missed out, especially if the trail ended with one of the natural waterfalls the area is known for.
On one of our camping trips near Helen, Georgia, J.R. and I decided to take the boys hiking to see as many waterfalls as possible during our stay. We would get up early in the morning, drive to the point where the trail began and then start the journey.
We had been told about one particularly difficult hike. “It’s a tough one, but the end is so worth the journey.” Unfortunately, we decided to save this particular hike until our last day, and on that day, the forecast called for rain.
Determined to see the breathtaking waterfall that everyone had told us about, we started down the path. And as we’d been told, the trail grew very narrow at times, to where we had to walk single-file along a ledge. At other times, the trees seemed to crowd us in, causing the forest floor to darken from their shade and making the hike seem more frightening than exciting. Sure enough, when we were about halfway there, and in the thickest part of the woods, it began to rain.
We found shelter in a shallow cave while waiting for the storm to pass. J.R. and I had brought backpacks with water and snacks for the boys (they were still fairly young at this time) and attempted to make the snag in our plan as enjoyable as possible. Typical boys, they thought the time in the cave made the day even more “cool.”
Finally, the rain passed, and we had a decision to make: do we turn around and give up on seeing this waterfall, or do we continue, even though the skies were still churning, another storm potentially brewing to hit us as we made the trek.
With a bit of trepidation on my part, we decided to carry on. The rain carried on too, causing us to slide on slippery rocks and tumble on tree roots or slick leaves.
Toward the end of the journey, we were all drenched. And cold. And weary. But then…the sun began to shine. And we heard the thundering rush of water up ahead. Pushing forward through the final batch of trees, we saw what all the fuss was about.
Have mercy, it was amazing. And so very well worth the journey. Water burst forward, cascading and pounding and splashing its way down the mountain, soaking us even more, but this was different. This wasn’t the dark rain trying to keep us from making the trip but this was the reward, a refreshing splash reminding us that we’d survived the terrain and had been awarded one of the most exquisite scenes I’d ever witnessed.
The path was narrow. The ground was rocky and tough. We were wet. And cold. And tired.
Isn’t that how we feel sometimes in life? Wouldn’t it be easier to turn around and take the easy route? To forget about the breathtaking glory that awaits at the end of the journey? But oh, what we would’ve missed if we’d have turned around. And didn’t it seem even sweeter…because of the difficult terrain?
This Week: Search and find the nearest waterfall. Hike to see that stunning creation of God. Thank Him for that view…and for the journey you took to see it. Then thank Him for the ultimate reward at the end of life’s journey.
Renee Andrews
