Part of the secret of having peace and joy through our struggles here on earth lies in the security we have in our future in heaven. As Christians, we have a guaranteed future in heaven, which should provide us with an overriding sense of peace and joy. So why do we often not let that sense of security help us through life?

Focusing on our Circumstances

So much of our anxiety, unrest, and sadness comes from focusing on our current circumstances and fear of the unknown. When we focus on our circumstances and those circumstances are bad, that’s all we can think about. Naturally, it’s going to get us down. If we were to focus on the future and the One who is in control of that future instead, our attitude would be different.

Our future will be filled with more ups and downs, but our afterlife will certainly be free of tears and heartache. We have been promised this by our Creator. This bright future can be our focus when nothing else around us seems bright.

Focusing on the Unknown

Focus on the unknown is another problem many of us face every day. When we focus on the unknown, our fear takes over. It’s natural to fear the unknown, and there are so many unknowns to fear.

Our future is full of unanswered questions and “what ifs” that can overwhelm us. What will happen if I lose my job? What if something were to happen to my spouse or my children? Will my friends ever accept Christ? Will I ever be able to get out of debt? What if something happens to me and I can’t provide for my family?

Our lives will always be full of these unknowns, but they aren’t meant to be our focus. We must focus on the here and now where God’s presence lives, but we can also focus on our future in heaven.

God Knows our Future

We aren’t meant to focus on the unknowns of our life. That’s God’s job, and they aren’t unknowns to Him. God never thinks to himself, “Gee, I wonder what would happen if…” He knows all and is in control of everything. With such a powerful Master in control, we can sit back and rest in peace that everything is under control and will work out for the best, no matter what happens. To combat our fear of the unknown we need to trust in the One who knows everything.

Though it’s sometimes hard to let go of our imaginary control and let God handle it, it can be such a freeing experience as well. When we open our hands and let God have our future and all the unknowns in it, we then have the ability to hold on to His promises and His certainty.

If you find it hard to trust God, one thing you may want to consider is that it’s hard to trust someone you don’t know in a deep, intimate way. As humans, we’re not very trusting. We’ve been burned by people in our lives, and that has resulted in a major hesitancy when it comes to trust. Even though God is not human, it’s easy for us to transfer those expectations of people being untrustworthy to God. We assume He’s just like everyone else and will fail us somehow too.

However, the more we know God and His unshakable faithfulness, the more we experience His goodness and love, and the more we are able to trust Him. It’s impossible to trust a stranger. But it’s impossible not to trust a loving, perfect, faithful, all-powerful father and friend whom you know on a deep, intimate level.

Focus on Heaven

We can also focus on the one thing we do know for certain—that we’ll end up in heaven and that it will be the most amazing experience we could ever imagine. Our near future may be uncertain, but our everlasting future is guaranteed.

People have tried to describe what they think heaven will be like, but nobody knows for sure. And this makes sense. There’s no way our human minds could ever comprehend such a place. We can’t come close to comprehending what God’s presence is truly like. We only have a glimpse of what it’s like here on earth. So it makes sense that we can’t fully comprehend what it would be like to forever exist in a place entirely filled with God’s presence. A place where we will breathe in God. A place where all the glory of God will flood every part of us continuously.

In heaven we won’t worry, won’t cry, won’t be afraid. Nothing will get us down because God’s presence will permeate our entire spiritual beings. What could be better than that?

This is what we have to look forward to as Christians. We have peace and joy while we’re here on earth, and we have an amazing, perfect place prepared for us once our time here is over.

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