Living Under His Lifetime

"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Colossians 1:17

In the last month, I have seen a teacher and classmate pass on to see Jesus. Each person held different stories, unique impacts, and special memories of what was. My what was feels less concrete and far more distant than I feel comfortable with.

Mr. Heuton saw my adolscent self grow into my own personality, friendships, and more importantly my faith. He was my teacher at a critical time in anyone's life (8th grade), but even more significantly - he was my 8th grade Sunday school teacher. I, along with hundreds of hearts and minds he molded, link my childhood to the heart and character of Mr. Heuton.

Kyle Horning, a classmate, was my desk mate for all of 8th grade year. We had been in the same 20 student class from kindergarten to 8th grade. We were confirmed together. We learned together. We grew up together. I have many childhood stories involving Kyle, all of which include laughter and joy.

I find that my life is now broken into chapters, not of birthdays or grades, but of lifetimes. As lives of family, mentors, and friends pass on, the what was passes on as well. Their memories of a life together passes on and it becomes reliant on the loved ones to remember for them. What was is no longer a conversation between two memories, but of one.

In Jesus my what was becomes my is and will be.

In Jesus, our lives are not marked or completed in lifetimes. There is only His lifetime. The Alpha and Omega. He conquered the what was. He is the beginning, now, and end. He was there before Mr. Heuton and Kyle were in my life. He was there when we first met and provided blessings through those friendships. He will be there unhidden the day that His creation comes to completion and we worship Him together in paradise.

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." Revelation 1:8

In Him, my fear of leaving and losing the what was withers away. My childhood is passing on to heaven, where it belongs. The people I mourn blessed my life by way of Jesus Christ. He provided those hearts to love. We are completed and fulfilled in our belonging to Jesus. They are where they belong, in the arms of the Alpha and the Omega.

Our life slowly starts to depart as those we love pass on, but our life does not depart in vain. No, our life slowly departs from this earth and into His kingdom. We are on our way to where we belong - in the arms of the Savior who gives us His lifetime of eternity and salvation. Praise God, that our time is not broken into lifetimes. Praise Jesus that we live under His lifetime. As we remember those who are now a completed and new creation, we hope and rejoice in His promise of no more death, mourning, crying or pain. For what was has passed away.

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 1:3-4

May we live confidently under the eternal presence of our Savior. May we rejoice that He was, is, and will be our lifetime. May we remember the loving arms who carry our what was into His eternal presence. Let us boldly carry on, and surrender our what was, is, and will be in the place where it belongs - the arms of the Alpha and Omega. For He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Amen.