Critics of the Christian faith have often spoken of the Christian understanding of Heaven as being "Pie in the sky, by and by." Believers are ridiculed for their belief that there will one day be something so wonderful that it will make any sacrifice in this life worthwhile. Thus, the Christian faith is reduced to the idea that the only thing beneficial about being a Christian is going to Heaven when one dies, or simply "Pie in the sky," for us, someday.
Endless Cake
The truth is, if you want to try to reduce Christianity to a single and common saying, a far better one to use is the one about "having your cake and eating it too." You have to be careful because you must modify the saying in order for it to have application for the Christian faith. Normally, the saying is that you can't have your cake and eat it too, but concerning Christianity, it is more aptly stated that "You CAN have your cake and eat it too!
The original saying is based on the fact that if you eat the cake, then it is gone, and you can no longer have it. The truth of Christianity is that it is good for us now, and there is always plenty left for the future. You can never use it up! This is true of God's love, His forgiveness, His wisdom, His blessings, and His presence... the list is unending. The grace of God begins before we even know it and is something inexhaustible.
The Cake that Awaits Us
Many years ago, a singer by the name of Andre Crouch sang these words:
"If heaven was never promised to me; neither God's promise to live eternally; it's still been worth just having the Lord in my life."
The song continued to say that even if there were no streets of gold or a land where we would never grow old, just having Jesus in one's life as we live on this earth is wonderful enough. For me, this is absolutely true. My life has been so much better because of Jesus that if I knew there was no afterlife, I would not change anything about serving Christ. I am "eating my cake" every single day, and it is amazing!
The Bible also tells us that the things we go through in this life are not worthy to be compared with what awaits us in Heaven. Therefore, our darkest, most difficult days on this earth will be considered "momentary and light in affliction" compared to the eternal glory awaiting us.
I don't think God wants to minimize our struggles here on earth. They are real, and they are hard. But it is to say that Heaven is so incredibly glorious that by comparison, our struggles here will seem to be only momentary, light affliction. In other words, even though when we have Jesus in our lives, the "cake" we get to eat here on earth is incredibly wonderful, there is a "cake" that awaits us that is far better still. In Christ, we get to have our cake and eat it too!
As Lent commences on Ash Wednesday, we are entering a time of introspection and prayer leading to Easter. Let us reflect on the significance of death preceding resurrection, urging readers to embrace a daily practice of surrendering self in preparation for our spiritual transformation.