The View from My Place – “Heart to Heaven”

Here’s what I said to the Lord this morning via my journal:

Thank You for all You have done to bring me to this present place. I can honestly say, the best thing about being alive today is my relationship with You. It was my zest for life that led me to You. Admittedly, my own suspicions—and honestly, the way some Christians lived out their faith—once made me believe You were a party poop. Funny thing is, You turned out to be the very Life of the party. Literally! I was searching for “more” than what I already had. I knew nothing of Your promise to give life more abundantly and to the full, but that has absolutely been my experience.

I am so blessed—with pleasures and creature comforts, deep and long-lived friendships, a happy marriage, an unbelievably wonderful church family, and exciting earthly adventures. I’m also tremendously grateful for a profession that is far more than just a job—it’s a calling, one I’d gladly serve for free. And yet, if I had to let all of that go but keep just one thing, my answer would instantly and without hesitation be, “Us.”

I’m not in this place because of my own effort, super-spirituality, or piety; it’s been—and continues to be—an ongoing process. Your faithful care, encouragement, guidance, the supportive people You’ve placed in my path, and so many other unseen elements—these are the reasons I’m here. Thank You for every bit of life experience—the bitter and the sweet—that You have worked around, in, and through to bring my faith in You to this point. And thank You for where we’re going as we walk together into an unknown future. I could say so much more, but I’ll leave it at this for now: You make everything richer with Your presence. My relationship with You doesn’t diminish life’s joys, nor does it insulate me from its trials. Instead, it offers an inexplicable richness that transcends them both.