I admit at times, I've been slightly jealous. It's not that I want to die or something; it's just that I want so much to have seen him reach that moment of physical ease. A time when he could run and breathe free without any health troubles or handicaps.
Lately, Jarrod and I have been reading a book about heaven which has given me a new perspective. Much of how I have always pictured heaven seems to be quite, well, wrong. At first, this upset me tremendously. I even cried about it. Picturing Andrew in my version of heaven has comforted me, but when that view was challenged, I was not happy about it. Now I realize that my jealousy is in a way unfounded. Andrew has not yet been physically resurrected. Yes, he's peacefully at rest in the presence of his Heavenly Father, but his physical body is still here. When he is resurrected for eternal life back here on earth, I will be resurrected with him! I WILL get to experience it with him. I am comforted by this new realization. Perhaps all of you reading this have known these things forever, but before this year, I have not spent much time thinking about what eternal life would really be like. Learning more about it has been a great comfort.
Though much of the Christian world thinks so, we WON'T be all bored, playing harps on clouds, singing 'til we're hoarse and walking around our big mansions with no cable TV to entertain us. We'll all be back here on a restored earth, actually living in our bodies and enjoying a place free from the twisted sadness of sin.
I haven't missed Andrew's new life. I will experience it in its fullness at the same time as him. So maybe there won't be a Starbucks for our chats like old times, but whatever it's like we'll find out together. Andrew won't have tasted all the different kinds of coffee before I get there to try them too.
He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul.
You and me both, bro! Otherwise waiting would be too hard.
See you when I see you.
