Our Future Hope

Not to long ago, my brother Jesse and I went to one of our friends birthday party. The first part of the celebration was held at a great place called Rock Springs in Apopka, Florida. It's basically a park that has a natural spring running through it ( and the water is freezing cold might I add ). Well, my friends and I got into the springs and traveled down stream on foot while all the other people around us were on tubes. It was so hard walking through the springs. Some parts had little rocks at the bottom that were very sharp and painful. At other parts there were large, jutting, alge covered rocks all along the river bed. It was extremely hard to get across that part. We all bumped and banged against the rocks, trying to manuever our way across. Once we finally went ashore I appreciated so much more the softer ground of the land that I was now walking on. Those sharp and big rocks that we painfully manueverd across caused me to look forward to the softer ground that lay ahead.

I was thinking about that time at the party, and it made me realize that the trials and hard times of our lives are like those large, jutting, slippery rocks that lay at the bottom of the springs. When we go through many trials and hardships our yearning for our future home in heaven becomes greater. We begin to look forward more and more to the place of rest and peace that lays ahead of us. A place with no pain- just comfort; no sorrow- just joy; no conflict- just peace; no sin- just righteousness. Listen to what Paul says in Romans 8:18-25:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves , eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perserverence.

We have such a wonderful future that lays ahead of us. We will be with our Savior in peace. We can go through the trials and pains of this life because we know that this is not all there is. We have our future hope ahead of us Let's as Paul, through the Holy Spirit, said," Eagerly wait for it with perserverance."