The Gift of Eternal Perspective

Most of the time people are happy enough to ignore death. They may feel it as a looming elephant in the room, but never talk about it. Our culture encourages us to make the most of this life, but doesn’t much care to address the fact that it ends. Suffering, on the other hand, has a way of clearing everything else out of the room. When you are suffering, especially in the face of grief, you are forced to stare right at death.

When my daughter, Ginny, was stillborn at 35 weeks, death was in my womb. And then death was placed in my arms. My dreams and plans were replaced with death. There were moments I felt I might just drown in death. There was no ignoring it. There was nothing to distract me from it. But the moment I called out to God, He met me in that place of death. He assured me I was not alone. He showed me that I didn’t have to carry the burden of death myself; Jesus already had.

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4

Even though God was there with me, it didn’t change the fact that I still had to think about death. But something amazing happens when God is with you as you think about death—you also think about heaven. I had confidence that my baby was in heaven and that I would be reunited with her one day (1 Thessalonians 4:14-18, 2 Samuel 12:19-23). That reassurance gave me hope.

As the weeks went by after Ginny died, I spent a lot of time thinking about heaven and what it might be like when we are reunited. One of my biggest comforts was the thought that our time apart is a small blip compared to the time we will spend together in heaven. I thought a lot about our understanding of time and eternity and about how short this time of sorrow is in the scheme of eternity.

Romans 8:18 says, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” This isn’t meant to minimize our suffering, rather, it puts it into an eternal context. We are not separated forever; we are separated for now.

“For this light, momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

When you think a lot about heaven, you start viewing not only your baby, but also yourself, in terms of eternity. This earthly life is only a short phase in the timeline of your existence. This eternal perspective also changes the way you understand the gospel—knowing the redemption that Jesus has already brought us and the power of the Holy Spirit that is with us now.

An eternal mindset is not one that merely looks forward to heaven one day. An eternal mindset brings heaven to the here and now. Our reconciliation with God is not just for that future place, it is for here, now. Likewise, our love for our babies is not dead; it exists now, and it will continue to grow. Embrace the love, embrace the good news, embrace the eternal life that’s yours now. Don’t wait for heaven to start living.

When I think back to before Ginny died, I’m reminded of how my life was filled with busyness and distractions that kept me from facing death. But those distractions were, in fact, keeping me from facing the full life God had for me. My suffering offered me the gift of eternal perspective, which was also a renewed opportunity to follow God’s will for my life.

In the book of Matthew, Jesus speaks a lot about the kingdom of heaven. He says the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 3:2). He also gives a blessing to those poor in spirit, “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). I believe God gives the sufferers, the poor in spirit, a special insight into the kingdom of heaven. What a gift!

“Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.” Psalm 126:5-6

Aimee lives in Auburn, AL with her husband Daniel and son Chet. Aimee is Hope Mom to her beautiful daughter Ginny Hope who was stillborn February 26, 2019. She and Daniel are learning to trust God and move forward in their grief day by day. You can read more at her blog.

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