Tuesday, May 28, 2013

What size will the door be when you reach heaven?

In the past two days we have heard about the "rich young man" in Mark's Gospel. When told that he should "sell all and give it the poor, then come follow Me", the man goes away sad - for he has lots of stuff. Jesus looks at His disciples and says "It would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven". The disciples are incredulous. In their culture, material wealth was looked at as a blessing from God and the person owning this wealth was thought to one of God's favorites. When Peter states that they have all given up much to follow Him, Jesus assures them that their reward will be great now on earth and, eventually, in heaven.
This got me thinking - what size will the door be when I reach heaven? I have been "blessed" with much as an American. I have a great home to live in, good cars, and all of the "stuff" I need. I try to keep it all in perspective and put my relationship with God first but I have to admit that it can be tough at times. All of my stuff can be quite distracting. As I am doing an extended period of prayer it can be tempting to check my email. When I know I should be reading a good book I often find myself watching some inane television program.
When my wife and I went to Guatemala several years ago I noticed three things in particular. First, the people are very poor. The men and women have to work VERY hard to keep their families fed, clothed and sheltered. Second, the people are VERY faith-filled. They have a trust for God and His providence that I envy. Third, they are happy people. They don't have all of the distractions in their culture that we have in ours so they are focused on what was important - faith and family. No wonder they are so filled with joy.
It makes you wonder who the truly blessed ones are. We in the United States might look at the people in Third World Countries as cursed because they don't possess all that we do. On the other hand, by Jesus words and my own experience, they seem to have a clearer perspective on life. It keeps me wondering - "what size the door will be for me, for them, for you?"

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