Suppose heaven didn’t exist

“‘Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”

—Alfred Tennyson, British poet (1809-1892)

Suppose heaven didn’t exist. Suppose the question of where our immortal souls go beyond this life existence was just fact. Every soul went to the same place no matter how we live our lives here on Earth. They all went to hell. I’m not talking about a place where there’s a man with horns and a pitchfork. No, I am talking about a place where there is no chance of having an intimate relationship with God. No relationship whatsoever.

How would this affect how we live our lives today?

Many might think the world would go into chaos as people would no longer “fear” God. They would no longer be worried about God “punishing” them so they would just do as they pleased.

Others might look to how we as human beings might rally to our “humanity”, becoming united as one world as now there would be no religions; religions which have historically divided mankind causing wars and destruction.

My hope would be that we would realize that our life here on Earth would be our only chance to have a relationship with God. I hope that we would seize the opportunity to be deeply connected with God even if it was only temporary.

Some might question “Why?” If there is no hope for heaven, then why have a relationship with God? Some would think that God’s only redeeming quality is that He holds the fate of our souls. But as I have been living my life and listened to the lives of many others, I have become disillusioned to most of the world’s life motto: “I can do it on my own.” I see people trying to live by that motto only to fail. I can’t believe that it is true. We need something greater than ourselves to survive this life. Almost all of your 13-step programs like AA agree on that point.

As Krista and I have been preparing to move to Germany, this has become so much clearer to us. Just as God provided food (manna) for the Israelites as they wandered through the desert, God has been providing for us. We needed some income during this time but really couldn’t seek employment because we just don’t know how long this prep time was going to take. Then God provided self-employment opportunities which allowed me to work from home so that we could have a flexible schedule to talk with people about our ministry. Our house sold and then we needed a place to stay. God provided my parents with a place so that we could live in their house. We needed some cash so that we could take care of some dental and medical things before moving to Germany and God sold my Jeep quickly and for full asking providing just the right amount we needed.

But even more than just providing for us, God has lifted our spirits when they have been down. He sends us a bird to sing to us a song when we need it. He inspires our son Alex to say something hilarious so that we know God is right here with us. He has placed words in the Bible that encourage and rejuvenate us during this journey. He has given us friendships that will survive long distances. He gives us the strength every day to face what lies ahead.

So when Alfred Tennyson said, “’Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all,” he might not have been referring to being in love with God or being loved by God, but he is so right. I would rather have what time I could be in a relationship with God, right here, right now – even if it wasn’t to last. The really cool thing though is that heaven does exist. But heaven is just the bonus.