“Are you waiting on heaven or is heaven waiting on you?”
I wrote that line on one our bathroom cabinets several years ago. But after a while I did what most of us do, I moved through my days oblivious to what was right in front of me. I had grown so accustomed to that line being there that I stopped reading it. Something about it caught my attention a couple of days ago, and it hit much different than before. Back when I first wrote it, I think I was looking for a manifestation of heaven that I hadn’t yet seen. I’m not sure if I expected it to come like lightning or glitter, but deep down I was hoping for something very different and unusually powerful.
Over the last few years, I have learned something about the Kingdom of God. God does intend for us to bring heaven to earth. But our obedience isn’t just a door that opens up the sky for heaven to rain down on us. Our obedience IS heaven come to earth. Our faithfulness IS heaven come down. Our transformation IS powerful. Every time we choose love when the world is insulting and dishonoring. Every time we choose hope when we’ve failed, joy when we’re hurting, and peace in the chaos. Every time we speak life to our friends, our spouse, and our children. Every time we silence our hurtful words or find His strength to try again. Every time we offer encouragement. Every time we serve instead of being served. Every time we give. Every time we forgive. Every time we infuse truth into the world around us. Every time we say His name, we are bringing heaven to earth. Heaven IS waiting on us…not waiting on us to do something worthy of pouring out a tidal wave of manifestation, but heaven is waiting on us to be the manifestation. We ARE heaven come to earth.
Have we spent so much time watching for clouds in the distance, mountains to move, and seas to part that we’ve forgotten we’re called to greater signs? Paul tells us “Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about cleaning rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgement” (Hebrews 6:1-2). Paul doesn’t discourage healing the sick and raising the dead, but he does call them elementary. Maybe because bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth in our speech, in our conduct, in our hospitality, in our giving, and in our perspectives takes an even greater maturity. Living beyond our own little worlds, our own difficulties, disappointments, struggles, and weaknesses is hard. It’s the hardest. Maybe that’s what this broken world needs most. Maybe selflessness IS the greater manifestation. Maybe heaven is waiting for a remnant to flood the world with that.