Originally Posted: Heaven on Earth

***When I returned to Chicago 3.5 years ago for my surgery, I started a blog as one place all family and friends could go to read updates on my health. I then realized it was also a way of promoting awareness. Shortly after that, I started a second blog, for the purpose of sharing my faith. As time went on, I became convicted about something.

It was wrong of me to separate the two, as my faith, Jesus, is the absolute reason for my strength in getting through this. I could not exclude Him from my health blog even if others suggested to do so. Thus, I started talking more about my faith on my main blog. Now, many times, it's more about Him than me, which is where I came up with the current title 'About Me, Not About Me'. This story may be about me, but really it's not about me, it's about Him. That old blog still sits out there no longer being used. So I decided over time I will begin to move those posts from there to here to have everything in one place.

In just beginning to read some of my first posts, I've realized the amount of work God has truly done in me. A lot of times we hate the journey and want to get to our next destination, but it is in that very journey that God molds you into who He created you to be.***

Originally Posted: May 9, 2014
Heaven on Earth

Thanks to a gift from a sweet friend I am reading the daily devotional "Jesus Calling." Yesterday one line in there stood out to me, "Do not seek your heaven on earth." Have you ever thought about this?

Every day this is exactly what we are trying to do even if we don't realize it at the time. We constantly want more, want better, and we do it in the worst way possible. We do it often times without God's lead.

Here on earth we are separated from God, and we will be until we one day join Him. But our desire for Him is SO extremely strong. And instead of reading His word, seeking His will and building a relationship with Him, we do just the opposite. We bring on destruction.

We look for this heaven within the earth. We will never find it here but we keep on looking. We look to other things. We look to other people. We look to desires, physical relationships, affairs, alcohol, gambling, revenge, money, etc. We in fact look to evil and sin in search of something so much greater. These things will never please because they don't last. They are brief moments of pleasure that give us a high for that instant. They are fleeting. And they are extremely damaging to ourselves and those around us.

Our time here on earth is brief compared to all eternity but we have a purpose. We must continue to remain close to Him, grow into who He wants us to be. We need to treat others with a loving heart. We need to not expect or search for heaven on earth... but maybe, perhaps through our actions, we should strive to create as close to it as we can for those around us.

Jesus Calling says "Do not seek your heaven on earth."
I say "Be a little piece of heaven for this earth."

Let God flow through your words, through your actions, through your life here on earth. When others see you, pray that they instead see a glimpse of Him.

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. John 15:12