I have been through the Bible a few times in my life. I have sat in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, walked through the Red Sea with Moses, and watched David slay Goliath. I have sailed with Jonah, and spent time with Paul in prison. But despite all of the stories, all of the time spent in the Word, and the many questions I have had over the years – I have had one burning question every time I read the Bible.
As Christians, I think it’s natural to wonder what heaven will be like. We read Revelations, or books on Eschatology, and yet we can only come so far as to guess. We also might imagine who we would talk to when we get to heaven, and what we would ask. I have heard friends and family say they would talk to Esther, or Solomon. Or maybe they would try to find Rahab, or Daniel. But despite all of the various answers I have heard to this question, I have always known who I would find when I get to heaven, and what I would ask. I would find John, and I would ask him this question that comes to my mind every time I read the Bible. “What was it like to walk with Jesus?”
I have often wondered what it would be like to walk with Jesus. Walking with Him would allow me to witness the most profound forms of love and compassion as He ministered to those around him. The disciples and I would wrestle with his parables together, as we seek to understand. We would marvel at his authority over the wind and the waves, and learn to walk in that authority ourselves. It would be incredible. Yet in the midst of the mountain-top experiences and the miracles, we would find that to walk with Jesus would be to learn how to love, from the one who first loved us.
Luckily for all of us living in the twenty-first century, we have the Bible to guide us through our burning questions. We can read these stories and use our imaginations to try and picture what it would have been like. But most importantly, we CAN walk with Jesus today. We sit with Him as we do our morning devotionals, or meet with fellow believers in study. We learn from Him when we pray and study His word. We walk with Him when we serve in our communities, and shine as lights to those around us. So for those of us who weren’t chosen to physically walk with Jesus, take heart. We can still choose to walk with him. We may miss a step, or veer off the path, but we know that “He is faithful and just to forgive us” and that He loves us with an unfailing love. Go now, in grace and peace this week as you walk with Jesus. Continue to love following His example, and I encourage you to continue to bring your burning questions to the feet of Jesus.
Your Sister In Christ,
Julia