We Shall All Be Changed

When you come to a door and knock and no one answers, you move on.

Or when you are at a place where you feel unwelcome, you move on.

Perhaps it’s a conversation that you feel certain is not for you, move on.

One wonderful thing about doors is this, you can walk in or out. No need to stay on the threshold and wonder what to do next. You can decide one way or the other.

I was thinking the other day about Heaven. Will I enjoy some people there that I don’t enjoy here? I cannot imagine it. There is so much more to the story than that. The whole landscape will be changed, as will we!

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed– in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52

A situation arose a while back, where someone wanted to call me out in a subtle, but not so nice way on social media. It was hurtful, but I decided to be kind in response, so I did respond kindly. The other comments were not very nice either–rather a pile on. But I decided to forgive and move forward. Only problem is…it kept bothering me. I felt like a child on the playground again, mocked by someone I thought was my friend…and others laughing. As the concern persisted for two weeks, I heard the Lord say, “You don’t have to stay there, Holly. You can move on.”

And I realized, I had been literally shown the door in the beginning. And it was okay for me to walk through it. I was not welcome there. I could walk forward in full forgiveness towards the person and the situation that I wish had gone differently.

That had happened in another deeply painful way before…I was perusing an old prayer journal the other day. I prayed Lord, if you want to heal this major divide in relationship, you can. I have done all I know to do. But I have been shown the door, Lord. I have not been invited back.

It is time to move on. Again with full forgiveness. Full freedom to move on to what God is doing right now.

This all reminds me of a picture the LORD showed me once. It has to do with tapestries. When creating the tapestry, there are so many beautiful and wonderfully bright colors, as well as some that are complementary and some that stand out in starkness, set apart from the other colors. But when you begin to see the actual picture, it is amazing how it all seems to fit! But here is what the LORD spoke over my heart, “Holly, the picture you see now being weaved is what I am doing right now. Some of the other colors have been used for a purpose in the past, but right now, I’m not working in that way. People are like that. Embrace the place where I have positioned you. You cannot go back. And not everybody is coming ahead with you. But I AM always with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

So whether you are like me and you have faced loss and if you are also conscientious in this way like me, you can be free to move on and be present in the now tapestry that God is weaving over and through and in your life. It’s going to be so BEAUTIFUL!

As for Heaven? Don’t worry. Sin and separation will not be carried forward there. Tears will be no more. You will not only like the people you see in Heaven. You will LOVE them, because they will all rightly shine Jesus.

Praying today that we may all be doing that more and more right now, as well–to the glory of God.