Soon and very soon

My King is coming

Robed in righteousness

And crowned with love

When I see Him, I shall be made like Him

Soon and very soon

Soon and very soon

I'll be going to the place He has prepared for me

Then my sin erased, my shame forgotten

Soon and very soon

I will be with the One I love

With unveiled face I'll see Him

There my soul with be satisfied

Soon and very soon

Soon and very soon

See the procession

The angels and the elders round the throne

At His feet I'll lay

My crowns, my worship

Soon and very soon

I will be with the One I love

With unveiled face I'll see Him

There my soul with be satisfied

Soon and very soon

Though I have not seen Him

My heart knows Him well

Jesus Christ the Lamb, the Lord of heaven

I will be with the One I love

With unveiled face I'll see Him

There my soul with be satisfied

Soon and very soon

Soon and very soon

Soon and very soon

-Hillsong United

Our great God of comfort (2 Corinthians 1) graciously put this song on my heart this past week.  It helped me deal with my grandmother's transition from the world we know to heaven above - and also reminded me that we too will soon be with our Savior in heaven.  This life is so temporary - we are truely just passing through.
 
"LORD, what are human beings that you care for them, mere mortals that you think of them?  They are like a breath; their days are like a fleeting shadow." Psalm 144:3-4

We must choose to cling tight to our Heavenly Father, for He is the only one who WAS and IS and IS TO COME.  He alone will be the same here and in heaven.  I praise Him for the day I am finally with Him: Soon and very soon.

Deedee
-noun

One who is so beautiful and gracious from deep within that love and mercy exude onto everything and everyone they touch. My Deedee made everyone she met feel like the most special person in the world.

Deedeefy
-verb

To make beautiful from the inside out in a graceful, timeless manner. I deedeefied my appearance by choosing a flattering and colorful outfit, and by accessorizing hats, pins, and jewelry properly. I deedeefied my attitude by thinking of others before myself.

When my Deedee arrived in heaven this week, she deedeefied the sky with the rainbow in the picture above. She is so gracious and thoughtful to leave us a promise of hope and of heaven. I can’t wait to see her when I get there, restored, smiling, tending to the most beautiful garden we could ever imagine. I am going to think of her, miss her and try to be more like her everyday until I get there.

I have heard it said several times this past week – in several ways: “That’s exactly what they deserve.” Or - “I don’t deserve this at all, why is this happening to me?” Or,“I deserve better than this!” This sense of “entitlement” is running ramped through our culture: If I do a then I deserve b. 

Fill in the blanks for you … (If I read my Bible this morning, I deserve to have a good day. If my co-workers or friends or siblings have something, I deserve it as well. If I work hard enough at something, I deserve a certain reward or recognition....)

Even though we FEEL like these statements should be true – it just almost NEVER works out this way. I know people who have worked hard their whole lives, only to be completely dropped and disrespected in the end. I read my Bible this morning – and, can you believe it??? "Bad things" have already happened today! Maybe we don’t DESERVE all these things we thing we do…

Consider our salvation – do we even deserve that?  And – if we don’t deserve salvation – why and how do we have it???

This is where the gospel comes in – we are saved “not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace,” (2 Timothy 1:9)  To which, my American heart asks Him: “Then, did You just randomly predestine my heart this way, because I haven't earned it - and what about the people who don’t know You, don’t we all deserve a chance to go to Heaven??” - Do we? - Our culture wants to believe we all have a fair shot.  As long as we are “good” people, surely we will get to heaven. Even if we don’t follow any specific rules –as long as we try, even in our own way – on our own “faith journey,” we deserve it.

The TRUTH is the opposite - NONE of us deserve to go to Heaven, or to have any sort of relationship with Jesus. We are filthy, and He is clean. We are selfish and sinful, and He is merciful and He is LOVE. We are “but a mist,” while our great God IS and ALWAYS HAS BEEN. He created us, and when we fell, He redeemed us. Praise Him that He loves us when we are unlovely. Praise Him that while we were still sinners, He died on the cross as atonement for our sin.(Romans 5:8)

Our God is “counter-cultural,” He has given us what we DO NOT AND NEVER WILL earn ourselves – redemption through Jesus Christ.

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.” – 1 Timothy 1:15