Beyond the Farthest Star: Chapter 6

After saying goodbye to Jones, Amanda Stryker walked out of the Golden Spire and headed down the street. She had no particular destination in mind; she just wanted to walk through the city and spend some time thinking. It was a beautiful day and there was something incredibly appealing about being outside. It’s too nice a day to spend indoors, she thought. Besides, there’s so much to see! It’s so strange, walking down the street and hearing angels tell you hello. I wonder how long it takes to get used to living here.

As she walked down the sidewalk she heard a voice calling out behind her. She turned around and saw Reverend Knight sitting on a bench.

“Oh – hey there!” Amanda exclaimed. “I didn’t see you sitting there.”

“As I noticed,” the preacher replied, smiling. He laid down the book he had been reading and gestured to the seat beside him. “Do you have time to sit down for a while, or are you on your way to some pressing engagement?”

“No, I’m not busy,” the girl said. She sat down beside him and glanced at the book he had been reading. “Is that a calculus textbook?” she asked in surprise.

“It is indeed! It’s been such a long time since I’ve studied mathematics that I wanted to go back to the basics. I actually have a degree in math, you know. In fact, I was on my way toward becoming a mathematician before the Lord called me to preach.”

“You were? I mean, seriously? I didn’t know you cared about math!”

“Oh, I was quite fascinated by it! I simply didn’t have the time to pursue that interest before. But now things are different. I’m really quite excited about it.”

“Really?” Amanda asked dubiously. “But – I mean, it’s math. I can see how it was important in our old life, but why does it matter now? Aren’t there, I don’t know, more spiritual things to do?”

“But this is a spiritual matter,” Reverend Knight replied. “After all, the laws of mathematics are just as much the laws of God as the Ten Commandments. They both have the same author and they both reflect upon the character of the Holy One. Their purposes are quite different, but they both play an important part in our world. Looking deeper into mathematics gives insights into the One who created it in the first place – it is a testament to His greatness, not to mention His sense of order and reason.”

“I guess,” Amanda said. “It still doesn’t seem very spiritual, though.”

“That’s the way people thought in the shadowlands, Amanda. They divided the world up into categories. On the one side were spiritual things – prayer, Bible study, preaching, attending church. On the other side were secular things – the sciences, the arts, sports, the physical world, and so forth. But that’s not the way God sees it. The sciences are not a secular pursuit because they are a study of the world that God created, and that world declares the glory of God. The arts do not exist simply for their own sake, but to glorify the One that gave mankind artistic talent. God authored the Bible and our genetic code, and they both reflect measures of who He is. His fingerprints are everywhere – and to search out the mysteries He has scattered all over the universe is very much a spiritual thing. Or it can be, if you are looking at it from that perspective.

“You see, Amanda, the Lord wants to be glorified in everything that we do. Even in the shadowlands, being a disciple of Jesus was not something that was restricted to Sunday mornings. It permeated every aspect of our lives – the decisions we made, the way we spent our time, and even the things that we said. Even mundane tasks such as paying the bills or repairing the house touched on it, because caring for one’s family and treating our neighbors as we want to be treated was very much something God cared about. Our whole life is a spiritual matter because all of it belongs to Him.”

“I see what you mean,” the girl replied. “It’s just not what I expected. I kind of thought we’d be sitting around on a cloud, strumming a harp or something. I didn’t expect to find a city, with buildings and streets and things going on. It’s just weird.”

The preacher smiled. “I know. Many people are equally surprised. But think about it for a moment. Did it really make sense that an engineer’s only opportunity to use his technical abilities for the glory of God was during his short life, and then for all the rest of eternity he would simply do nothing? Or that a scientist would only be able to study God’s creation while living in a fallen would, and would be unable to do so after reaching a perfect world? After all, the first person in the Bible that was said to be full of the Spirit wasn’t a preacher, but was a craftsman named Bezaleel. The Lord created us to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever, and the way we do that is by using the abilities He gave us – both in our past life and in this one as well.”

“But what about doctors?” Amanda asked. “I don’t see any hospitals around here. Or funeral homes, for that matter.”

“That’s quite true! There are some professions that, thankfully, are no longer needed. I suspect you will find no undertakers here who want to go back to the time when their skills were necessary. But there are many activities that are not tied to a fallen world. Had Adam and Eve not sinned, they would have gone on to populate the world and their descendents would have developed the sciences, the arts, economics, and so forth. There is nothing evil about any of these things and in the right place they can bring glory to God. Here we see these things in their proper place, being used for their intended purpose.”

“I understand,” Amanda replied. “I was just expecting something very different.”

“I don’t think any of us really knew what it would mean to live in the very presence of God. There were hints, of course, in the Scriptures – Isaiah and John both wrote about it – but words alone simply could not convey what it’s like to be in the presence of such holiness and greatness. That is what makes this place so incredible. Not its buildings, or its wonders, but its Lord. In life it was so difficult to keep God at the center, but here it is natural – in fact, it’s impossible to imagine doing anything else.”

Amanda nodded. “I agree. This is a good place to be, and now that I’m here I have no desire to be anywhere else. But – well, I’m confused. I didn’t expect to feel sad here.”

“That’s what was on your mind when you walked by, wasn’t it?” Reverend Knight asked. “You care deeply about your sister and you feel compassion for her, and that feeling surprised you.”

“Right! I mean, after all, didn’t the Bible say something about there being no more sorrow or pain? I didn’t just imagine that, did I?”

“No, you did not imagine it. The Lord did make that promise. He said that after Judgment Day, when death and evil were finally eliminated, He would create a new heavens and a new earth. In this new place there would no longer be sorrow, or crying, or pain, for the former things are passed away. But that has not happened yet. The shadowlands have not yet been supplanted by a new and more perfect world.

“Tell me this, Amanda. Do you believe that God cares about the people who still live in the shadowlands? Do you think He feels their pain and has compassion toward them, or is He indifferent?”

“Of course He cares!” Amanda exclaimed.

“Well, if He cares, doesn’t it make sense that you would care as well? After all, you now live in His country. If He is grieved, then isn’t it natural for you to grieve with Him? To put it another way – did you think that after you got here and became a sinless immortal you would care less about your sister than you did before? Or that you would be less tenderhearted and compassionate than you were when you still battled sin and darkness?”

“Oh,” Amanda said. “I see what you mean. But – what am I supposed to do? I mean, she’s there and I’m here.”

“You can trust Jesus to take care of her,” Reverend Knight replied. “She’s not alone, you know. In fact, she is now among friends. Miles and Noel will take care of her. She will be all right, Amanda.”

“I know, and you’re right. But it won’t be easy on her.”

“No, it won’t. The Lord’s will is rarely easy. Your sister has a particularly difficult task – she is being asked to do a rare and difficult thing. But these hard times will not last forever. It will not be long before Amy’s work is done and the Lord will call her home.”

“That will be a good day,” Amanda replied.

Reverend Knight smiled. “Yes, it will.”