10. the mayans were wrong; God was (and is always) right.

DOOMSDAY??

I have to admit, I was one of those people that feared the end of the world. I definitely wasn't a doomsday prepper, but I slept with my light on until I was 15, and checked under my bed until I was…wait… sometimes I still do that (oops). 

We all heard the hype about "The end of the world," which was supposed to happen 13 times in our history, according to www.ranker.com. 13 times! I knew the declaration of the new millennium wasn't going to be it. I remember talk of exploding computers and artificial intelligence attacking the world and although I was only 12, I thought, "No way that is happening." I was not afraid of that one. In fact, I wasn't really afraid of any of them until the most recent one. This one had the most build-up and seemed to be the most "reliable." The Mayans were apparently a trustworthy source, and although there were many flukes described on the history channel and doubts that the Mayans ever made this prediction, when December 21, 2012 came around, I felt a little uneasy. This bothered me for years that I wasn't excited about the end like most believers were. Every time people were gossiping about the supposed end of the world (times 13), I was confronted with the fact that I wasn't excited about leaving this world, even if it meant going to heaven. 

The world didn't combust (shocker!) but something peculiar DID happen to me on December 21^st. Although I know that the Bible tells us in Matthew 24:36, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father," I thought, “what if this IS it, what if the Mayans were right?" I began to imagine what the end of the world would be like for me: I remembered vaguely what I had read in Matthew 24:29-30 about the second coming, “…the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken… they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.” I looked up at the sky, which happened to have a red tint to it where I was. I imagined Jesus there, riding on a cloud with a blazing fire to His back, floating through the sky.

I did observe that the verse doesn't say I'm going to die, it says I will be taken up. I began to imagine myself there, in heaven, with everyone else like a big party in the sky with golden streets and Jesus. Mostly Jesus, as long as He is there, I think heaven is going to be awesome. Revelation 4 gives a good description of heaven if you want to check it out. While you're simmering in that hefty verse, give some serious thought to heaven...

Why do we go there?

Do I want to go there, why?

I genuinely contemplated those questions, and after remembering a delightful quote I heard my father-in-law use, "I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die to find out there isn't, than to live as if there isn't and die to find out there is a God" (Albert Camu), I came to this conclusion:

I live as if the true reward is living THIS life depending on Christ, having a God who intercedes for me and helps me grow. The orchestrator of this world simultaneously orchestrates the symphony of my life. To me, heaven is a hope, of course- but it is kind of like a bonus as well. That life is without fear, pain, tears, and this life is the painful one. The Bible tells me that those who believe are going to heaven, so I believe I'm going, wherever it is. That is a great reward, but the greatest reward is just to have Jesus hold me in His arms, which He does now, in this life as well. I'm already winning; I already have such a great reward.  

Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

He is with us now, and will be with us then. Therefore, there is no fear in death. Even if we die a terrible death, we spent a life with Jesus and will be with Him forevermore. That is not something to fear, no matter how reliable the Mayans are supposed to be (their credibility has definitely dwindled some). I don't need to store up dried foods, I just need to store up more love and gratitude for the one who gave His life to me, paying for the sins that I committed so I could have a relationship with a perfect God. 

Thank you Mayans for giving me my 13th opportunity to refocus on keeping fear at bay; even in death. My precious Jesus, thank you for loving me despite my fears and doubts. 

Here's to living another day! Thank you Jesus.