Monday, April 9, 2018

This Is Not Where It Ends


Every day I miss my daughter. I think of her constantly and the ache of being without her is so painful. But I do know I will see her again. I do not think I will see her again. I do not hope I will see her again. I know I will see her again.


Sometimes I feel my heart is breaking
But I stay strong and I hold on 'cause I know
I will see you again
This is not where it ends
(Carrie Underwood)


How can I say this with such certainty? Is it simply because I could not go on if it were not true? Is it just a feeling? Is it because someone told me that and I believe them? No. It is much more. I know I will see Mira again because of two simple (but profound) facts: my daughter is in heaven and I will go to heaven when I die.



I never use the word ‘fact’ lightly. I do not believe everything I hear. I am a researcher. A sceptic when it comes to most things. I like data and graphs and evidence. So how do I know that it is a fact that my daughter and I will both be together in heaven? I’d like to outline that for you. First, it must be agreed upon that the Bible is fact, and truly the Word of God. The evidence for this goes far beyond blind faith. I won’t list that evidence here, because it is far to great. However, if you don’t agree with me and would like to see the evidence for yourself, here are some great resources:
Now I understand that the authors of these articles and books are Christian and therefore not unbiased. However, due to the nature of the question, “Is Christianity/the bible truth?” Christians are the one investigating it. Or nonbelivers often become believer through their investigation and have their works published through Christian organizations. I highly suggest “A Case for Christ” if you are interested in a firm skeptic's investigation into the question.

So, if there is sufficient evidence that the Bible contains the truth, how does that assure me that I will someday be in Heaven? Because the bible expressly tells me how to get to Heaven to be with God for all of eternity.

  • First of all, we have all sinned and we cannot be with God if we have sinned even once.
    • Isaiah 59:2: But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God; your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers. 
    • Romans 3:23: all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
  • Good works cannot save you, only Jesus can. It does not matter if your good outweighs your bad.
    • Ephesians 2:8-9: For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not of works, so that no one can boast. 
    • Titus 3:5-7: he saved us, not by works of righteousness that we have done but on the basis of his mercy, through the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us in full measure through Jesus Christ our Savior. And so, since we have been justified by his grace, we become heirs with the confident expectation of eternal life. 
  • Christ died and suffered for our sins because God loves us. Christ was resurrected for us. 
    • Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 
    • Romans 1:4 who was appointed the Son-of-God-in-power according to the Holy Spirit by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. 
    • Romans 4:25 He was given over because of our transgressions and was raised for the sake of our justification. 
  • Because Christ, who was sinless, died for us, we can be righteous through Him. 
    • 2 Corinthians 5:21 God made the one who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God. 
    • 1 Peter 3:18 Because Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, to bring you to God, by being put to death in the flesh but by being made alive in the spirit. 
  • We can be saved only through Jesus’ sacrifice for us. 
    • John 14:6 I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me 
    • John 1:12 But to all who have received him--those who believe in his name--he has given the right to become God's children 
    • John 3:16-18 For this is the way God loved the world: he gave his one and only Son that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him. The one who believes in Him is not condemned. The one who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.
  • This means we must each come to God the same way: as a sinner who recognizes his sinfulness and realizes no human works can result in salvation, and relies totally on Christ by faith alone for our salvation.
I know I will enter Heaven when I die because I have accepted the gift of salvation, confessed I am sinner and rely completely on the grace of God.

With that said, when I first learned that Mira would not be coming home from CHOP with us, I started researching the answers to my questions about what would happen to her spiritually. I believed, of course, that she would be welcomed to Heaven, because what sort of God would not bring a baby to Heaven? But that is not enough for me. I wanted to see if the bible really said that, or if we just assumed it. Here is what I found:
  • When the Israelites were banned from entering the promised land after showing a lack of faith God said to them, “And the little ones… your children who do not yet know good from bad—they will enter the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it.” (Deuteronomy 1:39). This tell us that children do not know right from wrong. 
  • Paul tells the Romans that they are “without excuse” as they have plenty of evidence for God and salivation and can discern the truth themselves. (Romans 1:20). If Deuteronomy 1:39 proved children do not know right from wrong, then it should hold true that they cannot be accountable to information that cannot know or understand. 
  • To summarize: There is the consistent evidence Scripture that people are judged on the basis of sins committed voluntary. In other words, “eternal judgment is always based on conscious rejection of divine revelation and willful disobedience” (Sam Storms, The Gospel Coalition). Infants are not capable of this and therefore are not accountable. 
  • 2 Samuel 12:15–23 tells the story of David’s first born and his death. In the seven days before his death, David fasts and prays, hoping that “the Lord may be gracious to me, that the child may live.” After his child dies, David washes, eats, and worships. He explains “Since he has died, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.” This means David’s son is in Heaven. 
  • In Luke 18:16-17, Jesus says: “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for such is the kingdom of God. Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” Why would Jesus us the children as a metaphor if babies did not enter Heaven? 
This is just a summary of the main points in the bible of the evidence that babies will enter Heaven. There is much more evidence. There is nothing in the bible that states babies that are not baptized do not go to heave or go to any sort of ‘limbo.’

I know I will see Mira again. That fact does not make the pain of missing her go away, but it does remind me there will be a time for great joy again. I also know my girl is safe in the care of Jesus until I can hold her again.  My prayer is that anyone who knows Mira’s story will also know Jesus and meet her in Heaven someday.

Such a short time
Such a long road
All this madness
But I know
That the silence
Has brought me to His voice
And He says
I've shown her photographs of time beginning
Walked her through the parted seas
Angel lullabies, no more teary eyes
Who could love her like this?
(Selah)

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