“Who Art in Heaven”

The following is the second of twelve monthly reflections about the phrases of the Lord’s Prayer and what they tell us about family life.

            Back in my junior year of high school, I was involved in a curious affair called the junior varsity track meet.  As you might imagine, while I was on the track team to stay in shape, I knew the Olympics were not in my future.  The JV meets were interesting because they often featured athletes filling in for events that were not their specialty.  It was enjoyable in some ways to try a new event without the pressure of needing to place first, and it certainly was entertaining to watch others attempt new things.  Of course, there are some events that can go quite poorly for the untrained novice.  I remember just such a day for my teammate, who I will call “Steve.”  There he was, dutifully pitching in where no one else would as our team’s lone entrant in the 110-meter high hurdles, emphasis on the high.  Steve began well enough, and though there was no threat of his winning the race, he cleared the first five hurdles without event.  But then, disaster struck on number six.  Steve caught his foot on the hurdle and could not regain his balance.  I can close my eyes and still remember him distinctly as he landed face-first on the track below.

            The groan of the crowd was audible, and no one was quite sure of what to do, except for Steve.  He got back up, brushed the rubber pieces from the track off his uniform, and ran towards the next hurdle.  The unfortunate thing was that, because of his first fall, he had little momentum, less track to regain speed, and depleted energy.  You might guess what happened next: another face plant.  At this point, the rest of the runners had finished, and no one would have begrudged Steve to exit the track as he had last place all wrapped up.  He would have none of it.  He ran at hurdles eight, nine, and ten, each time tripping and landing in some sort of painful heap on the track.  Bruised, bleeding, somewhat embarrassed, and a bit triumphant, he stumbled across the finish line to the crowd’s relieved applause.

            I tell this story not to only to dissuade anyone but the best jumpers to avoid the high hurdles, but also I want to consider this month’s phrase of the Lord’s Prayer as it relates to finish lines.  For after we invoke the Father, we describe him as being in heaven.  In many ways, heaven is our finish line.  We came from God in heaven, and it is our ultimate task in life to return to God in the heavenly realms of perfect bliss.  I will be the first to admit that I have often lost sight of this goal, choosing instead to focus solely on temporal matters and neglecting thoughts of my final hoped for destination.  It will not be news to anyone that we all get distracted from this purpose, and the stresses, strains, and needs of married and family life can sometimes exacerbate our lack of attention.

            However, in their best sense, our family relationships are meant to aid one another in reaching our final destination.  Our parents, spouses, children, siblings, and wider family can all be gifts from God in that we learn about God’s love and will for our eternal happiness when these people model it for us.  We also are charged with giving this same gift to others.  What adjustments might be helpful for us in our own relationships as we strive for this noble ideal?

            Much like Steve’s hurdles, we will encounter obstacles on our way.  No Christian life happens without some kind of suffering.  Yet we look to the redemptive suffering of Jesus as a source of hope for how God can transform our difficulties into moments of grace.  Like Steve, we must persevere to the finish line.  Our reward, of course, will be infinitely greater than his, for in heaven we are promised a place of rest, eternal happiness, and the fulfillment of our heart’s deepest desire.  May this promise motivate us to stay the course and reach the finish line.  May we, too, help our loved ones, especially those who are struggling in their lives for whatever reason.  It will truly be a moment of indescribable joy when we are there together at the finish line, saints among the saints.