The Hope of a Better Life

They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection.

Hebrews 11:35c (NLT)

I recently hit a major birthday milestone and spent some time looking back over the past few decades. For much of my adult life, I looked ahead to the next stage, hoping I would finally feel like a mature adult. When I was in college, I couldn’t wait to get married and secure my first “real” job. Then I looked forward to becoming a mom. Then I couldn’t wait until my kids were older and I knew what I was doing, instead of parenting by the seat of my pants (spoiler alert: that never happened). Then I looked forward to going back to work and figuring out what I wanted to be when I grew up.

My faith followed a similar pattern. For years, I kept waiting to feel like I was a mature believer. Waiting until I figured this “following God” thing out. Waiting until my spiritual life matched what I saw in other people. I finally realized that life isn’t about arriving at a particular place or stage. We are always in flux, always in the process of growing and becoming.

The desire to grow and mature is universal. But an important distinction sets believers apart – the hope of the resurrection. Hebrews 11, the “Hall of Faith” details a long list of Old Testament heroes – including heavy-hitters Abraham and Moses and near strangers Barak and Jephthah – whose faith enabled them to endure hardships, perform miracles and hang on in the face of insurmountable odds. Some were even tortured for their faith, but the writer says they faced death without fear, because “they placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection.”

Because of Christ’s resurrection, we have the assurance that death is not the end of our story. No matter our regrets, disappointments or failures in life, the resurrection gives us confident hope that our story won’t stay there. It’s okay if we never fully become who we want to be in our current life. Instead, we have a hope and peace in the future, knowing that in eternity, we will be perfect. Complete. Fulfilled. Mature. The person God created us to be in the first place.