Stop Dreaming About Heaven

 

Jesus spoke about the Kingdom of God more than anything else.  He also talked about money more than heaven and hell, so there's that. 

So why do so many Christians tend to focus on the heaven and hell bit and let the whole idea of the Kingdom of God go by the wayside when it comes to their expressions of faith?  

For a lot of people who say they follow Jesus, Christianity comes down to a choice.  You choose to follow Jesus and go to heaven when you die, or you don't decide to follow Jesus and spend eternity in hell.  

If Jesus was less concerned about what happens to us when we die than what we do when we live, why do so many Christians make the ever after the main point? 

I think it's because so many of us are enamored with imagining a place without suffering, challenges, or hardship.  A great deal of Christian theology and doctrine backs this up.  Christians of all types seem to hold on to the hope of a day when they'll finally be free from the trials of this life and live in perfect peace. 

Some even imagine that they will live in mansions on streets of gold.  I remember hearing this kind of teaching when I was growing up.  I have heard people teach that the holier we are on earth, the better "building materials" we are laying up in store for our home in heaven.  

The other day, I read a fascinating quote from the late Thic Naht Hahn, who had this to say about "being so heavenly minded" we're "no earthly good:" 

I would not want to live in a place where there is no suffering, because in such a place I would not be able to cultivate understanding and compassion, which are the basis of my happiness.  Happiness is a function of compassion.  If you do not have compassion in your heart, you do not have any happiness. 

So, is Hahn actually saying that his ideas of "heaven" are of a place where suffering, struggle, and hardship still exist?  Kind of.  

He can't imagine a place where he could not continue learning what it means to be compassionate. Hahn's compassion for the plight of others stems from his own suffering, an idea he expounds upon outside of this quote.  

But Hahn's subtle point with this statement is that we should not spend energy on what happens in the afterlife when there is so much good that needs to be done right here and now.  

He also acknowledges the generative potential for suffering.  We learn far more from our trials than we do from our triumphs.  We know how to care for others more lovingly when we understand what they are going through more intimately.  

So, what is the lesson in all of this?

It comes down to a straightforward and vital truth: Since we have no idea what happens in the afterlife, we must focus more on the present.  Jesus taught his followers this on more than a few occasions.  

Jesus taught that the Kingdom of God is present all around us and in us. In other words, the potential for God's shalom is here right now.  

Jesus wanted his followers to "seek first the Kingdom of God" and leave all the other stuff of life (and the afterlife) to God. He told his followers not to worry about tomorrow because there was so much that needed to be done today.  

Jesus also told his disciples that they didn't have to worry about what would happen in the afterlife because God had all that figured out.  "If this wasn't true," he said to them, "why would I be saying this?"  

He also never tried to sugarcoat for his followers that they would never face trouble and suffering in the present. Still, he also gave them hope that they would overcome it and be shaped into even more effective kingdom-bringers if they faced their struggles with hope.   

So, may we all find ways to bring the kingdom of God to earth right where we are.  May we grow in the suffering we face to become the people God longs for us to be.  May we leave the afterlife to God and live to be more fully alive in the moment.  

And may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us all, now and forever. Amen.