Whenwe think of life as one big test, it becomes all the more meaningful. It makesmore sense. It becomes exciting. When we see life as a challenge, those whosuffer can comprehend their sufferings and those in pain-any kind of pain-nowsee it as a mere test that precedes eternity.
Theproblem in our times is that we try to find a material paradise. That's not inGod's plan. There is no earthly utopia. Try as we might, we'll never findperfection in the physical. Such thinking is a deception at a time of greatdeception, and at a time when mankind is on an incredibly materialisticcourse.
Lifeis a test. Everything about us from the moment of conception to our finalbreath is watched closely by Heaven, and at every juncture there are eventsthat may seem minor or even trivial but can carry tremendousmeaning.
Thepeople we meet, the locations in which we live, the work we do, the relativeswe have, and the places we go, are all rich in meaning. Every aspect of lifecounts. God doesn't play with dice. There are no coincidences.
Andthere is no superiority. Everyone on earth is equal. Everyone is equally lovedby God. Everyone is given tests and sufferings (though some sufferings are morevisible than others), and everyone has the same chance to use the incredibleopportunity of life to gain a splendid
after
life. Every moment isterrifically precious because every single thing we do, think, or say countswith God.
We don't have this opportunity forever. Life goesby in a flash. While it may seem that seven or eight decades are a long time,to God a thousand years are like a single day (
2 Peter
3:8).
Thinkabout it. An average person lives about 912 months, or in the area of 27,750days. Let's break it down further and express it as approximately 665,000 hoursor perhaps 40
million
minutes. Think of the things you can do in aminute. Think of the number of thoughts you can have or words you can say.Every tick of the clock counts, and forty million minutes further reduces to2.4
billion
seconds.
Thatsounds awesome, but to God such figures, such numbers, are child's play. To aGod Who can keep track of every single living creature on a planet, with morethan six billion people, and trillions of other life forms right to theone-celled amoebas (and Who can also keep track of billions of other stars andplanets), keeping track of our lives is certainly no big deal.
Andthat's what He does: He keeps track of every single thing we ever do or say. Heeven records our thoughts. He watches everything that passes through our mindsand monitors what we hold onto and what we reject.
Wehave responsibility we have for the priceless time we're given on earth. Everymoment that we live has tremendous potential for good or evil and every momentof life brings us closer to or takes us farther from God. Every minute counts.We can pray in that moment, we can love in that moment, we can praise God inthe tick of a clock, but we can also latch onto a hateful or lustful orotherwise damaging way of thinking and detract from our eventualjudgment.
Mypoint is that God wastes nothing and not a single thing we do is meaningless.God isn't a cruel God. While death seems terrifying to us, once we look backfrom the afterlife we'll see that it's not a bad thing. It's nothing to fear.In fact, as I said, it should be a happy experience. If we're prepared, if welive the rest of our lives as God wants, if we're in tune with the Holy Spirit,it's not only a pleasant experience but an exhilarating one.
Fromthe moment of birth all of us are given countless opportunities to do good andat the end of our lives, in a way we cannot fully perceive, God will instantlyanalyze how we have handled ourselves each of those 2.4 billion seconds and howmuch we have purified ourselves, how much we have risen above Original Sin. Hewill evaluate how much we have helped reclaim what Adam and Eve lost.
Lifeon earth is transient and passing. To find the best place in the afterlife, letme repeat, we must prepare every waking moment. There is never a second tolose. We need to start right now-this minute. Earth is merely a testing ground.We're not to obsessively hold onto any aspect of personal life any more than wehold onto an old grammar school classroom. Every day, in many ways, we findourselves tested. We're tested for our faith. We're tested for our humbleness.We're tested for our patience. Most of all we're tested to see how much welove. With each personal trial our spirits grow and we have that much moreunderstanding. With each successful trial we gain brighter heavenly apparel. Itawaits those who have fought the good fight and who have lovedJesus.
There
is nothing to fear for those who have followed His teachings.
Heaven is an incomparable joy, and most of us will one day reside in it.