Ellen Chauvin | Soaked & Sprouting

Soaked in God's Word, Sprouting Seeds of Faith

Hope of Heaven in the Midst of Grief on Earth

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Surely this year will start off better than last year ended. That was my hope as January rolled around. Sadly, things just didn’t work out the way I hoped. It seems as if my family would be walking through another season of grief. Hard, gut wrenching grief.

“…that you may not grieve as others who have no hope…” 1 Thessalonians 4:13b (ESV)

Honestly, I’d like to have a talk with the apostle Paul about this verse. We don’t grieve as unbelievers? Really?

“Excuse me, Mr. Apostle Paul, but I disagree with this scripture! Cause let me tell you, I can ugly cry with the best of those with no hope. I snot cry and wail in pain because it hurts that my loved one is no longer here. I can’t talk to them, have dinner with them, I can’t hug or touch them. Not only that, tears run from my eyes, snot pours from my nose and spit drips out of my gaping mouth. Yeah, I grieve. Really ugly grief. So, help me with this verse, please Mr. Apostle Paul!”

Physically, I DO grieve as those without hope. Spiritually, the hope I have should make my grief more bearable. After all, my hope as a believer is in a resurrected body and eternal life and heaven. My hope is that one day I will see my loved ones again. They will be part of the great cloud of witnesses that I hope will greet me when I walk through heaven’s gates. But there’s one thing:

It’s so hard to wrap my brain around eternal life when I am grieving here on earth. 

My hope is in heaven. I know this earth is not my home. I know this. But I struggle to imagine the reality of heaven. I know it has streets of gold (Revelation 21:21), but I know nothing about being there with my loved ones. I cannot visualize this (and I am a visual person!).

More grief grips my heart when reality sets in.  Those I’ve loved are no longer here with me. I’m left behind without them.  They are home, safe and sound, like after a long trip. They can exhale and rest in eternal peace; all of us here on earth are still traveling.  They are worshipping at the feet of Jesus; we are merely playing our worship music. We’re not jealous of them. Not exactly. We’re just longing to be home with them.

One commentary I read explained it this way: We have hope of spending eternity with Jesus. Instead of thinking about heaven with all my loved ones, I need to focus on life with Jesus. I need to change my perspective. Again, though, it’s hard to wrap my brain around a glorious future with Jesus. What does that even look like? My eyes are cloudy from the tears of my grief. My perspective is cloudy. 

I believe, but I can’t see.

With sorrow after sorrow piled high, the thought of eternal life with Jesus doesn’t console me like it should. It doesn’t fill the hole left in my heart. 

Something’s missing…

(Join me next week, as I continue pondering the hope we have.)

Grace be with you,

Who is Your Life Patterned After?

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“so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.” 1 Thessalonians 1:7 (NASB)

Last time, we discussed ways to become an example for others to follow. We learned that the Greek transliteration of the word example is typos or tupos, and that it meant “a visible scar, marked by repeated strokes.”

Many of you wrote to thank me for digging into this word.

Ok, only one. One person told me they appreciated me digging so deep into this passage. 

To that I say: HOLD ON!

If you thought the last post was deep, buckle up! We are digging even deeper today into the meaning of tupos!

According to The Complete Word Study Dictionary, a more focused definition of tupos from 1 Thessalonians 1:7 is a prototype or pattern⁠1 to be followed. A prototype is an original model on which something is patterned. A type is a model of some reality that is yet to appear. 

Okay, here we go! It’s about to get deep! But stay with me, this is interesting stuff!

In scripture there is a thing called typology, which is a special kind of symbolism. (A symbol is something that represents something else.) We can define a type as a “prophetic symbol” because all types are representations of something yet to come.

For instance, a type (tupos) of Christ is a person, object or institution that serves as a shadow, that points forward to the true substance. Adam was a type or figure of Christ.

Back to Thessalonica. The young believers there became examples, but of what or whom? Paul perhaps?

“PATTERN YOURSELVES after me [follow my example], as I imitate and follow Christ (the Messiah).” 1 Corinthians 11:1 AMP

Now, I am no theologian, but I think the conclusion we can draw is this: Become an example of Christ for others to imitate and follow. Be a type of Christ that points to the true substance of Him. You have Christ in you (Colossians 1:27), let Him shine through in all you do. Be an example of Jesus that points others to Him.  

Recently, I made new curtains for my dining room. I used the old drapes as the pattern for my new ones. I had to carefully follow my pattern so the new curtains would fit properly. 

Jesus and His ways are the pattern we follow for our lives. We must constantly look to our pattern (which we imitate) to become examples for others.

If you are thinking “No way I can be an example of Jesus! I’m not good enough!” remember this:

We are His typos, corrected not with old fashioned white out, but by the cleansing, crimson blood of Jesus. We have been washed white as snow. Sure, we’ll have a few bumps and scars along the way. Those bumps and bruises will become a testimony of the grace of Jesus in our lives. 

Look to Jesus. 

Follow His pattern of love, mercy, obedience and faithfulness.

Be an example and point others to Him.

Grace be with you,

 

 

 

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1 5179 to strike, smite with repeated strokes. A type, i.e., something caused by strokes or blows.

(III) A prototype, pattern.

(B) Figuratively an example, pattern to be imitated, followed (Phil. 3:17; 1 Thess. 1:7; 2 Thess. 3:9; 1 Tim. 4:12; Titus 2:7; 1 Pet. 5:3). A type as a model of some reality which was yet to appear, a prototype of that which was yet to be developed and evolved, e.g., the ordinances and institutions in the OT were, in their inward essence, types of the NT. The first era serves as a type of the second

 Zodhiates, S. (2000). The complete word study dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers.