You can't wait for Heaven?....well, I can.

I know, I know, the title itself lends this post to skeptic speculation about irreverence or a self-fulfilling lifestyle, but read a little further, I promise it's not what you think...or maybe it is?

Lots of people "cannot wait" to get to Heaven, to live there forever with our Lord, face to face with our Savior, Jesus Christ, and while on the surface it sounds all well and good, and it's something to say at the end of a great worship service at church, I on the other hand can, in fact, wait to get to Heaven. Now, before you start lighting torches and getting your pitchforks ready to come get me, hear me out. It's nothing selfish or irreverent, but there is so little time to do what we are called to do here on Earth, and there is an eternity to enjoy our reward for living our calling. We oftentimes focus too much on getting there and not enough on what we are needing to do here now. By focusing on the eternity ahead rather than the here-and-now, what are we missing, more importantly, who are we missing out on serving? How much energy are we putting into wondering about, thinking, dreaming, or speculating, even debating about what Heaven is like, and how the world may end? How much are we focusing on what we truly do not know much (if anything for certain) about, other than the fact that if we are believers we will be there one day? Don't get me wrong, I am not saying do not think or talk about what's to come, because it is awesome to imagine and anticipate, but what if we took our focus off so much of what, when, and how it all takes place, and look more toward what we can do while we are here to ensure we are serving others as we are called to through Christ? Imagine if we took all the time and energy we spend "not being able to wait for Heaven," and put even half of it toward sharing our lives with the people who need it most, the people that all of us see almost every day. If we were all, as believers, to focus on being the servants to the world that Jesus came and showed us how to be, how different would the world look now? Don't misunderstand me, I'm excited about getting to Heaven at some point and worshipping in the actual physical presence of God for eternity, but I have an eternity to focus on that when I get there. I only have this brief moment of life to live out what I'm called to, and if I keep my focus on the important things, when I step into eternity I can look forward to meeting Jesus and hearing him say "well done my good and faithful servant; enter into the joy of your salvation!"