One of the cool things I get to do in my position at the church is fielding a lot of the tough questions that come in. Our weekend services have a great way of drawing people in and opening all kinds of questions in people’s minds, and that’s where I come in. The subjects are very broad, from the meaning of a particular passage of Scripture to what is Kensington’s stance on baptism or communion or any number of social issues.

One of those emails came to me recently that made me stop and think – a lot. After fielding these questions over the past few years, I’ve gotten pretty good at ripping out a concise answer in as few keystrokes as possible. But I had to pause with this one. After you read it, you’ll see why it was different:

Hi,

So first I would just like to say (what you probably hear a lot) that I love your church-going experience.

I’m only 17. We started going to Kensington after my parents got a divorce, now both of my parents will take us to listen to Chris Zarbaugh (ed. note – Chris is the lead pastor at one of our campuses and a fantastic communicator) every weekend, separately. This is something they never did when we went to Catholic Church. It has allowed me to start to develop my faith more and more, something I can finally do because I understand service.

After years of chatichism [sic] and Catholic Church though, there is one question I have that never gets brought up at church.

I believe in God.

But one thing just confuses me, something no one really can answer: Why do I want to live for eternity in Heaven?

Obviously no one wants go to Hell, but why would you want to live forever and ever and ever?

I’m aware that’s abstract, forgive me for it. I was just looking for any answers you might have.

Thank you for your time,
Lauren

I got that email two weeks ago. And if I’m brutally honest, I still don’t really know what to do with it – even after wrote an answer. I was really tempted to take a look at what some other person has wrote on the subject (they’re out there) and give that to her. But in the end I decided to take a more than a few minutes and plumb the depth of all my aspirations and insecurities and ask the sometimes vexing question: “What is my ultimate hope as I stumble along in this life with Christ?”

I offer my answer (for the moment) for your consideration…

Hey Lauren –

Wow – I make time for questions like this! I really do appreciate your curiosity, because I’ve honestly caught myself with the same question in my head. So here’s my attempt at an answer:

Have you ever had a day where you were with your best friends, the weather was perfect and you were doing something fun together and wished the day would never end? Do you remember the thrill of your birthday when you were a little kid and your parents knew just how to whip you into a froth of little toddler excitement? Have you ever done something where you just knew that it was what you were created to do?

I hope so. I really do.

Maybe there have been times that you have experienced exactly the opposite feelings. I’m just going to take a couple of guesses here – I hope you’ll forgive me if I’m off the mark. Remember how crushing it felt when your parents told you they were divorcing? Remember the fear that you might have felt as you stepped into the rhythms of having to make a home at two addresses? Were there times in the quiet before you fell asleep that an inner voice blamed you for your parents splitting up? (that’s a lie that a lot of kids struggle with) Are there times – not even related to your parents’ relationship – where you catch yourself saying, “That’s just not right!” The injustice of the world is as clear as its beauty.

All of those aching feelings – both the good and the bad – are your heart longing for life as it was meant to be. In short, Heaven.

My deepest conviction – the hope that I cling to as I slog through the frustrations of this life – is that all of the wonderful feelings I have ever experienced put together will not come close to the joy of living life at its fullest potential. I look forward to a time where will spend my days learning and growing and surprising myself with the marvels that God will accomplish through me, only coming to realize at the end of the day that I was thinking too small. There’s another adventure tomorrow to anticipate with all the glowing excitement of Christmas Eve.

Why heaven? Maybe it’s to finally be delivered from the sadness that still haunts me when I think about the fifth anniversary of my mother breathing her last, and the thought of seeing her again. Maybe it’s the anticipation of finally having the time and the heads space and the patience to learn guitar (that will take an eternity!). But perhaps it’s way more than the few words in an email can describe.

Maybe it’s simply to taste life as it was originally intended by the Maker of all that is good. Raw, real and so wonderful that your heart would be fit to break for just the sight of it.

Well, that’s my take on it. I haven’t even scratched the surface thinking about this, but I hope it helps a little.

Keep asking the questions!

I have a feeling I’m going to have to keep asking questions myself.