Yesterday, my son and I were at the grocery store along with half of my town for some reason. We had only a few things to pick up and it should’ve been a quick trip. Note the words “should have.” With people crowding the aisles and items out of stock, this chore took longer than either of us had expected.

We normally go to the self-checkout lane as my son is a master bagger and I can scan items faster than the speed of light. We make a good team. However, with these lanes full, we had to go old school.
 
Navigating the space to find a relatively empty register took some time. When we found our resting place, we actually had to stand in one of the food aisles in order to adhere to the six foot rule. It seemed like every two seconds someone was saying, “Excuse me,” so they could get by us or the people who were blocking their way.

My son has a low tolerance for crowds of people. He also has a low tolerance for things taking longer than they should. After what felt like the millionth “Excuse me,” he made a comment that I won’t soon forget.

“I think I’m ready to leave this place and go to heaven. I think I’m ready for Jesus to come back and take me out of here. This world is nuts.”

I responded with “Well, heaven is surely better.” I continued extolling the benefits of heaven like the mansion God has chosen for him, streets lined with gold, ample everything, no masks, no six foot rule, and of course, the ability to see and talk with Jesus.

His response – “Let’s go.” I couldn’t agree more.

“But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9 NKJV)

Like many, my son is becoming weary of the covids. While his daily routine has not really been disrupted all that much, the tasks he needs to do in his everyday life have become more complicated due to the Covid guidelines. As I said, patience is not his strong suit. (Can’t imagine where he gets that from!)

Over the past several days, he has commented many times on the cray-crayness that’s going on and shared his opinion on the headlines. We’ve had some interesting discussions.

“He looks like a wise old man,” my mother said as she cradled my newborn son in her arms nearly twenty-three years ago. His entrance into the world was somewhat complicated, however, as the doctor held him up for me to see, he didn’t make a sound. Not one word, much to my dismay. He just looked around with his Hershey-Kiss brown eyes and was like, “Hmmm…ok, this is interesting.” I’ll never forget it.

Unlike his mother and sister, he’s not a chatty Cathy unless he’s talking about basketball. When he’s on a roll, he can leave us both in the dust! He ponders things. He mulls them over quietly. Then out of nowhere he’ll make a statement that is so profound, it stops me in my tracks – like yesterday.

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you [a]will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NKJV)

Many of us are growing weary of the covids, the headlines, the division, the “fill in the blank” challenge du jour. Our resolve is being tested. Our patience is growing thinner. We long for normal – whatever that means for each of us. We miss the simple things we took for granted. We just want to “stop the bleeding.

The sale of my house was a “stop the bleeding” action. Its expense was taking a toll on my bank account as well as my mental and physical health. I couldn’t wait to leave. I have no regrets whatsoever and I don’t miss it at all.
 
It’s natural to have “make it all go away” moments when we are going through trials and tribulations that seem beyond our capabilities to handle. Perhaps that was the motivation behind my son’s comment yesterday. However, while we’re waiting, we can trust that God already has a solution.
 
These times we are living in are not a surprise to God. He’s not up in heaven scratching His head saying, “Whoa! I didn’t see that coming!” Our job now is to have faith and know that God has got this all worked out.
 
That my friend is heaven.