Back to Calendar

Reflections: Daily Devotions in Disability Ministry

Glory Days

August 14, 2010

Revelation 21:2-4,
I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 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.” (NIV)

Some years ago, a family took a vacation to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. They stayed in a beach house that had a cupola, a tiny room at the top of the house with windows you could crawl into for a beautiful view of the ocean.

Unfortunately, one of their children who was enjoying the view from the cupola suddenly fell out and crashed to the floor below. There followed some crying and what appeared to be a broken arm. The parents found a clinic in Cape Hatteras and a kind doctor who put her arm in a cast. The cast stayed on for a number of weeks.

Then, they took her to their family doctor for him to have a look. Referring to her cast, he said, “Let’s just take this smelly old thing off and throw it away.”

That was good news. In this life, we use a lot of devices to help us cope with bodies that feel the effects of living in a fallen and sinful world: eye glasses, braces, wheelchairs, medications, crutches, bandages, tooth fillings, artificial joints. All of these are reminders that in this earthly life, our bodies feel the brokenness that comes from sin within us and all around us.

The day is coming when all these aids to help us will be nothing more than smelly old things we can just throw away. The book of Revelation encourages us to look forward to the day when our minds and bodies will be made perfect.

St. Paul says that at the last day our bodies will be raised “incorruptible.” That’s a big word that means there will never be a need for all those things we now need to help our bodies cope. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us. Heaven is where we will see Jesus face to face…and we will see Him with our own bodies made whole.

Heavenly Father, thank You that You are with us, helping each day with the weaknesses of our bodies. We look forward to seeing You face to face with the perfect and restored bodies You will raise up on the Last Day. Until that day, keep us strong in our faith in Jesus. Amen.

Rev. Michael Schempf, Chaplain – WI
http://bethesdalutherancommunities.org/resources/spiritualResources/pmc.asp

Back to Devotion Calendar