We were looking at Revelation 21 (among
other passages) at college group and verse 4 got me thinking. “He
will wipe every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more,
neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for
the former things have passed away.” (ESV)
No pain.
Have you ever been so happy that it
hurt? The moment is so perfect that you can hardly stand it? Like it
hurts to hold that much happiness?
On the way to college group Stephen and
I were listening to random songs from a giant playlist I have on
YouTube. I thought about a song we had heard; I Lived by OneRepublic.
There's a line that says, “Hope that you fall in love, and it hurts
so bad.” When I first heard that song a few years ago, I wondered
why you would wish that for someone. Sure, it makes sense to want
someone to fall in love, but to wish that it'd “hurt so bad”?
That seemed kind of cruel. But I've since realized that there's
really no other way. Love hurts. That doesn't mean it's not worth it.
Love is pretty much the greatest thing there is, but there's always
pain involved. And it doesn't have to be because someone hurt you,
though that often happens. Everything could be going fine, and it
still hurts. Like a pebble in
your chest that won't go away. And nothing's wrong. It just hurts.
The pain pretty much defies explanation. It's true of any kind
of love, not just romantic love. Well...maybe it's not true of loving
a hot dog, but you can choke on those things, so, then again...
And, I wondered...as broken, sinful
people, can we just not handle that much delight here on earth? Is
that why happiness can hurt and love is painful? Because in heaven
there is no crying, no pain, and we can't even imagine the joy that
is felt in heaven.
“Beloved, we are God's children now,
and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he
appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” 1
John 3:2 (ESV)
“And I heard a loud voice from the
throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He
will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself
will be with them as their God. He will wipe every tear from their
eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning,
nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed
away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am
making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these
words are trustworthy and true.”
...And I saw no temple in the city, for
its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city
has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives
it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations
walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and
its gates will never be shut by day-and there will be no night there.
They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But
nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is
detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb's
book of life.” Revelation 21:3-5, 22-27 (ESV)
