Real Life

When you think of the term “real life,” what comes to mind?  Usually I think people, at some level, get the idea of the small things in life, or maybe the “day to day” things that go one.  Ideas of real life become the tiny moments that one treasures in this life.  It is an amazing deception.

C.S. Lewis, in his book The Great Divorce, had an interesting description on heaven.  At the beginning of the book, he made clear the idea that he was not speculating on the afterlife, only giving an idea.  So, nothing in the book should be taken as the way it will be.  However, part of this idea, I believe was the difference between heaven, hell, and earth.  He describes heavens as a place that is so much more real than earth.  In comWhen you think of the term “real life,” what comes to mind?  Usually I think people, at some level, get the idea of the small things in life, or maybe the “day to day” things that go one.  Ideas of real life become the tiny moments that one treasures in this life.  It is an amazing deception.

C.S. Lewis, in his book The Great Divorce, had an interesting description on heaven.  At the beginning of the book, he made clear the idea that he was not speculating on the afterlife, only giving an idea.  So, nothing in the book should be taken as the way it will be.  However, part of this idea, I believe was the difference between heaven, hell, and earth.  He describes heavens as a place that is so much more real than earth.  In comparison, hell and earth were only shadows to Paradise.  I think that is probably something we will find to be true when we get there.

When we think of “real life,” though, our first thoughts are not of heaven.  They are of earth.  They are of the things here that bring us joy.  Now, when these things cause use to draw closer to God, I believe they are part of the life we were meant to enjoy here, but they are nothing compared to the real life to come.  What seems to happen far too often, however, are these things distracting us from God.  Choosing to sleep or do something else rather than go to church, choosing not to go witness to those who don’t know Jesus (whether as a group or by yourself) because you’re scared or too busy minding your own business to do God’s work, being caught up in a busy schedule only to not notice a person in need of help…  in other words, being too involved in “real life” that you miss the real life.  When you stand before God, what do you want to have been involved in here on earth?  Do those things.

"Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required” (Luke 12:48b).