This video is the closest demonstration to what I imagine it to be like to get into Heaven. Every racer is fighting their own battle. Every racer has reached their own limits and has taken responsibility for their own strengths and felt the burn of their weaknesses.
One of the volunteer positions that I am signing up for in the Ironman race is "Finish Line Catcher". When athletes cross the finish line, many of their bodies have completely shut down and the only thing that gets them there is their desire to finish. As soon as they cross the line, their bodies (and sometimes brains) shut down. Everything has been left on the course.
The last 1/4 mile must be unworldly to the athletes. After hours and hours of almost complete silence (just your heart and your breathing), you turn a corner and there are thousands of people screaming and cheering, and doing everything they can to encourage each athlete across the line. The lights are bright, there is loud music and people trying to give you high-fives. The energy must be unreal to these athletes..I think that only an Ironman finisher will truly understand the real meaning of turning into that chute and hearing the announcement, "JOE BAXTER...YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!"
It really draws an amazing amount of parallels to what I imagined getting to Heaven to be like. It doesn't matter what challenges you faced along the way. It doesn't matter how much pain you are in or how many times you thought about giving up. What matters is that you get into that chute and cross that line.
I imagine this to be the Narrow Path. God can not be near sin. I know that although Jesus has cleansed me and acts as an attorney for me...my judgements are still going to be there until my attorney speaks for me. I imagine it to not be a hop-skip-and a jump to get into Heaven....There is zero carry-on baggage...and I won't even know how much I have until I die. I won't know how much of a challenge there is until I am gone and there is no way to re-write my story...It may be a battle, and I may only get through on desire alone...
But I do hope to see those gates. I hope to see the lights and I hope to see the angels cheering. I hope to see Jesus on the other side ready to help me saying "Welcome Home", and I hope to hear the voice that says, "Well done, good and faithful servant".
I think I would probably collapse just after that line also...I wouldn't even care that it is still pavement...as long as I make it to that point, nothing else really matters, does it?
I don't think there is anything on Earth that shows what entering heaven may be like other than the finish line of an ironman race...
One of the volunteer positions that I am signing up for in the Ironman race is "Finish Line Catcher". When athletes cross the finish line, many of their bodies have completely shut down and the only thing that gets them there is their desire to finish. As soon as they cross the line, their bodies (and sometimes brains) shut down. Everything has been left on the course.
The last 1/4 mile must be unworldly to the athletes. After hours and hours of almost complete silence (just your heart and your breathing), you turn a corner and there are thousands of people screaming and cheering, and doing everything they can to encourage each athlete across the line. The lights are bright, there is loud music and people trying to give you high-fives. The energy must be unreal to these athletes..I think that only an Ironman finisher will truly understand the real meaning of turning into that chute and hearing the announcement, "JOE BAXTER...YOU ARE AN IRONMAN!!!"
It really draws an amazing amount of parallels to what I imagined getting to Heaven to be like. It doesn't matter what challenges you faced along the way. It doesn't matter how much pain you are in or how many times you thought about giving up. What matters is that you get into that chute and cross that line.
I imagine this to be the Narrow Path. God can not be near sin. I know that although Jesus has cleansed me and acts as an attorney for me...my judgements are still going to be there until my attorney speaks for me. I imagine it to not be a hop-skip-and a jump to get into Heaven....There is zero carry-on baggage...and I won't even know how much I have until I die. I won't know how much of a challenge there is until I am gone and there is no way to re-write my story...It may be a battle, and I may only get through on desire alone...
But I do hope to see those gates. I hope to see the lights and I hope to see the angels cheering. I hope to see Jesus on the other side ready to help me saying "Welcome Home", and I hope to hear the voice that says, "Well done, good and faithful servant".
I think I would probably collapse just after that line also...I wouldn't even care that it is still pavement...as long as I make it to that point, nothing else really matters, does it?
I don't think there is anything on Earth that shows what entering heaven may be like other than the finish line of an ironman race...
Start watching at 6:00 to see what Entering Heaven just might be like:
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