Life after death: Honest truths with no sugar coating
Please read my Intro found in Feb. if you are new to reading my blog.
At risk of seeming morbid or callous I think I really need to write about what is on my mind: my cousin’s death and how it pertains to comments and thoughts I have heard.
I have been around death my entire life, and beyond the shock of it, it doesn’t affect me like it does others. Of course as I adjust to the shock, I have to go through a fair amount of the grief process; I am not saying I don’t grieve. However, explaining death to my 5 ½ year old today wasn’t completely new, but more approached differently. I have always raised Lexi not to be afraid of being dead or hurt because with Jesus we know no matter what it will be ok. Today though when Lexi asked if my cousin was in heaven; I had to find a way to explain hell. This was a conversation I was not quite ready to have. With her being limited in some understandings I explained that God gives everyone the chance to choose Him and His one narrow way to heaven. Those who choose not to believe in God and live the life he teaches them to, end up in Hell when they die. It was a good conversation because I was able to explain why it is so important to always talk about Jesus and His love for us to as many people as we can, to try and help them not go to Hell.
A huge reason I absolutely had to have this conversation with her was because I was just dumbfounded by people who aren’t Christian trying to tell me my cousin was in a better place now. I ended up being very blunt and saying, “No I don’t believe she is in a better place.” The simple fact is this: close loved ones or random strangers all have a choice to make in their life. The bible tells us that every person will be given the opportunity to make this free choice before they die. Or more simply yet: If you are a parent you have rules that you choose to raise your children using. They have a free choice to if they follow these rules or not. It hurts our hearts, and we react either with anger, sadness, or other emotions depending on the situation when they make a choice that disregards their rules. Despite the emotions we feel in their poor choice, we continuously have an unconditional love for them; we just don’t like the choice. When rules are broken there is a punishment to follow. Everyone punishes differently to teach their children not to continue this behavior as best they can. God is our spiritual father. He gave us all the free choice whether to accept His love or not. He also gave us the choice to follow His few select rules, or disregard them and go a different way. Free choice is the ultimate love because it will hurt at times but will never ruin the love. So why is there a hell? Not everyone who chooses not to follow God’s rules sees any consequence in their own lives while they are living. Hell was created to serve as a warning to what would happen if the choice was not God and His rules. Seems harsh, but keeping in mind God has always given people at least once chance to change before their final breath, it seems just in my mind. That might be morbid or harsh. I know from my own life, when I wasn’t living how I knew I should; I had chaos, drama, and tons of crazy that continued to happen. When I was living right, even though life wasn’t perfect, there was no worry, fear, or many other words I could put here that had been the normal before making the choice to establish a spiritual relationship with God.
God is always good and His love is so very real. I know from those who have never experienced this, they think it is just a religion. Religion has no relationship. If you are a Christian who doesn’t agree with every aspect of the bible because you have chosen to believe more of the garbage the world can feed you to be truth instead; you probably have religion instead of relationship. There is a huge difference. The seat warmers who don’t do much else God related other than one service, usually have only religion. To these people following God’s rules is too difficult; because they don’t feel Him and don’t understand why being not of this world (living differently than unbelievers) is so wonderfully great. To the ones who have the love and have experienced beyond a doubt that peace and indescribable love, it comes easy to follow the bible because love goes both ways. Out of love we obey our parents rules, out of love we would do anything for who we are in love with; we have this desire to be our best in everything we can.
Some would call this crazy Christianity; some of those might even be self proclaimed Christians. But like Francis Chan who wrote “Crazy Love,” says “Say John 3:16 with your name in it, and see if it changes the meaning to something so much more real for you.” The fact is that God would have sent His only son to die on that cross, even if it meant only to save you and no one else. That is how much He loves us. As a parent, it would be the hardest thing in the world to lose a child; let alone to lose your only child. Yet God loves us that much he not only lost His child He made the choice to give that child so that everyone would have the free choice to accept His love for them and have any of their past forgiven and forgotten. How many people can choose to just start completely over no matter the choices they made before, but we all have that option. God is willing to never remember again our past if we accept His gift of real love (not human love that can still have errors or mistakes).
Knowing all this and how true it is, I am completely at peace with death and do understand that even though we don’t want our loved ones in Hell, you can’t control their choices. It doesn’t change the end result, no matter how harsh that end result may seem.
At risk of seeming morbid or callous I think I really need to write about what is on my mind: my cousin’s death and how it pertains to comments and thoughts I have heard.
I have been around death my entire life, and beyond the shock of it, it doesn’t affect me like it does others. Of course as I adjust to the shock, I have to go through a fair amount of the grief process; I am not saying I don’t grieve. However, explaining death to my 5 ½ year old today wasn’t completely new, but more approached differently. I have always raised Lexi not to be afraid of being dead or hurt because with Jesus we know no matter what it will be ok. Today though when Lexi asked if my cousin was in heaven; I had to find a way to explain hell. This was a conversation I was not quite ready to have. With her being limited in some understandings I explained that God gives everyone the chance to choose Him and His one narrow way to heaven. Those who choose not to believe in God and live the life he teaches them to, end up in Hell when they die. It was a good conversation because I was able to explain why it is so important to always talk about Jesus and His love for us to as many people as we can, to try and help them not go to Hell.
A huge reason I absolutely had to have this conversation with her was because I was just dumbfounded by people who aren’t Christian trying to tell me my cousin was in a better place now. I ended up being very blunt and saying, “No I don’t believe she is in a better place.” The simple fact is this: close loved ones or random strangers all have a choice to make in their life. The bible tells us that every person will be given the opportunity to make this free choice before they die. Or more simply yet: If you are a parent you have rules that you choose to raise your children using. They have a free choice to if they follow these rules or not. It hurts our hearts, and we react either with anger, sadness, or other emotions depending on the situation when they make a choice that disregards their rules. Despite the emotions we feel in their poor choice, we continuously have an unconditional love for them; we just don’t like the choice. When rules are broken there is a punishment to follow. Everyone punishes differently to teach their children not to continue this behavior as best they can. God is our spiritual father. He gave us all the free choice whether to accept His love or not. He also gave us the choice to follow His few select rules, or disregard them and go a different way. Free choice is the ultimate love because it will hurt at times but will never ruin the love. So why is there a hell? Not everyone who chooses not to follow God’s rules sees any consequence in their own lives while they are living. Hell was created to serve as a warning to what would happen if the choice was not God and His rules. Seems harsh, but keeping in mind God has always given people at least once chance to change before their final breath, it seems just in my mind. That might be morbid or harsh. I know from my own life, when I wasn’t living how I knew I should; I had chaos, drama, and tons of crazy that continued to happen. When I was living right, even though life wasn’t perfect, there was no worry, fear, or many other words I could put here that had been the normal before making the choice to establish a spiritual relationship with God.
God is always good and His love is so very real. I know from those who have never experienced this, they think it is just a religion. Religion has no relationship. If you are a Christian who doesn’t agree with every aspect of the bible because you have chosen to believe more of the garbage the world can feed you to be truth instead; you probably have religion instead of relationship. There is a huge difference. The seat warmers who don’t do much else God related other than one service, usually have only religion. To these people following God’s rules is too difficult; because they don’t feel Him and don’t understand why being not of this world (living differently than unbelievers) is so wonderfully great. To the ones who have the love and have experienced beyond a doubt that peace and indescribable love, it comes easy to follow the bible because love goes both ways. Out of love we obey our parents rules, out of love we would do anything for who we are in love with; we have this desire to be our best in everything we can.
Some would call this crazy Christianity; some of those might even be self proclaimed Christians. But like Francis Chan who wrote “Crazy Love,” says “Say John 3:16 with your name in it, and see if it changes the meaning to something so much more real for you.” The fact is that God would have sent His only son to die on that cross, even if it meant only to save you and no one else. That is how much He loves us. As a parent, it would be the hardest thing in the world to lose a child; let alone to lose your only child. Yet God loves us that much he not only lost His child He made the choice to give that child so that everyone would have the free choice to accept His love for them and have any of their past forgiven and forgotten. How many people can choose to just start completely over no matter the choices they made before, but we all have that option. God is willing to never remember again our past if we accept His gift of real love (not human love that can still have errors or mistakes).
Knowing all this and how true it is, I am completely at peace with death and do understand that even though we don’t want our loved ones in Hell, you can’t control their choices. It doesn’t change the end result, no matter how harsh that end result may seem.
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