Eternity. It’s a long time. It is not linear. It never ends. It goes on forever. Eternity has been written on my heart over this last week in new and powerful ways.
One week ago, my team and I went to our first church service here in Nicaragua. If I were to be completely honest, I would say that I did not expect to get much out of it, as the service is usually done entirely in Spanish. Thankfully, God was about to teach me that he is not bound by human words.
As I found a seat in the one room church, I settled in for what I anticipated would be a long struggle. I so despratley wanted to hear the word preached. Selfishly, I wanted someone to pour into me, to refresh my spirit. And I knew that as someone who knows little Spanish at best, I simply wasn’t going to understand the service. I was going to leave frustrated instead of fulfilled. Or so I thought.
Surprise washed over me as the band began to play. They played worship songs that are commonly sung in the states, songs that I could sing along with. I was soon lost in worship.
I paused for a moment and looked at the people who surrounded me praising God. I listened to the sound of jumbled voices singing in a language that I didn’t understand. But I could understand thier hearts
In that moment I was struck by the fact that these people are truly my brothers and sisters. No matter how many miles separate us or how different we look, we were united by the same blood.
I always knew this, but at that moment I was struck by it. I pondered the fact that Heaven will be full of believers, from far and wide, including some of these new friends I was making. I realized that I will be spending eternity with these people, people that at the moment I barely know. But eternity is a long time! It is long enough for me to learn about each and every soul in deep and intimate ways. We will truly be closer than any siblings on earth can be.
I am so excited to see the riches that God has in store for those who love Him. I don’t know what eternity will be like. But I know that the God who created all these different and beautiful people, along with their beautiful and unique cultures, will fashion a perfect culture of love for those who believe. And that is something that I truly cannot wait to see.
