Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I headed outside on this new day of a new week, long before daybreak, to meet with the One who died for me. Just sitting there on the front porch in the silence and in the darkness waiting for the sun to rise nourished my Soul and refreshed my Heart. It’s cool and windy this morning, and I could hear the wind long before I could feel it. The wind roared through the trees as if it was warning the earth to brace itself. As I sat there thinking about the sound of the wind and the time it took to reach me, I reminded me of how God often issues Advance Warning to us too, but if we don’t Know His Word we’ll be caught off-guard when we feel the winds of Life. As God shed light on this old farm, I smiled as I looked out at the deer gathered around the oak tree to feast on acorns. They receive nourishment from this old farm on their own day after day as surely as I receive mine. When the sun finally broke through the sky, it took my breath away, and I thought to myself that man truly is without excuse when it comes to believing in the Living God. He can be seen every day, everywhere where and when we Love Him, we never grow tired of Praising Him for His Goodness. If I’m hungry and needing to be fed Spiritually, emotionally or physically I know precisely where my provisions come from and I know that if my God leads the deer to food and water day after day, He’ll surely lead me to what I need too. Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be?

Life doesn’t come with a list of guarantees. We know that we’ll live for the days allotted to us and not one day longer or shorter. Despite some of the heroic attempts we make to extend life, one day we’ll die. We know that our life has a Purpose much bigger than ourselves whether we choose to sit it out or to Run with it. We Know that if we’re Willing, we will be “developed” in every way to do whatever He has for us to do for His Glory and not our own. We know that if our Heart is in the Right Place, and if we Surrender to our Savior, we’ll have an eternal Life after this life where tears and sickness can no longer exist. We know that He will fulfill our every physical need if we rely on Him to provide, but everything in between is unknown Territory and one that requires a whole lot of Faith and a whole lot of Trust IF we want to get through this life in one piece with joy and peace through it all. When we hear the wind howling through the trees, we Know it’s Time to brace for what’s ahead and we’re Strenghtened for the Journey. The road we travel on this earth may be a whole lot more complex than the life of a herd of deer, but the requirement to Trust without question is all the same. He is my Strength and He is my Provider. I know the beginning and the end of my Journey. I chose to Trust Him with everything else in between just like my furry friends.

Faith doesn’t come with a blueprint of Heaven although I already know all that I need to know to want to be there forever and ever. I know that in Heaven there is no more sorrow, no more tears and no more pain. In Heaven we will be in the very presence of the Everlasting God, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. I know my Savior has gone before me to prepare a place for all those who Believe and that there are mansions and streets of gold and beauty that will be can’t begin to imagine. I know that I’m being groomed for the Role I’ll play in Heaven, so all of my efforts here on earth are significant in the Bigger Picture. I know that I’ll get a new body that will never get sick and die again and that I’ll recognize my family and my friends who Believed and who are already there…I also know that it will be a glorious reunion for all. I know that there is no delay or some spooky place that I’ll float around in after I die waiting for someone to pray me forward, but that “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord” – Hallelujah! I know that I won’t have to suffer the consequences of the wrong I’ve done here on earth because I’ve already been forgiven of all that, BUT I will have to answer for all of those times I failed in my Faith..whether I overlooked a hurting soul or ignored the needs of another that I could have met – or worse yet, if I failed to share my God with my world as God opened the doors and put them in my path. I can’t think of anything worse than facing my God with shame, so I work hard every day to Strengthen my Heart and my Soul and to share the Gift of my Faith with the world.

All of those in between things that we may wonder about Heaven don’t really matter at all – like whether or not there will be animals in Heaven or whether or not the Saints will hear my laugh echoing through Heavens for eternity? Maybe you won’t hear me in Heaven, but you’ll surely see me there if you find your way to Eternal Life too, and, just think, you’ll be stuck with me forever I know with absolute certainty what my future holds.

How about you? I’m sure you can hear the Wind blowing and it won’t be long before it reaches you. Do you have doubts about what comes after this Life and do you wonder what your life is really all about? If so, reach out to me. I’ll get you so fired up about what COULD be in store for you if you Believe and Surrender just like I do, and when I’m done with you, you’ll be looking for your own One Way ticket to Heaven too!