Your Own Personal Hell – Katie Skurja
Is there a literal hell where the depraved are punished after they die? If so, what is it like?
Is there a literal heaven where the righteous go after death? If so, what is it like?
These are rhetorical questions that have been debated by sincere people who desire to be faithful to God for centuries. Though interesting to explore various interpretations, no one knows for sure because it is all speculation, whether we want to admit it or not. Whatever it may be in the afterlife, we can see with our own eyes the existence of heaven and hell here on earth.
What if heaven and hell exist, at least in part, here on earth? What if they exist inside your own soul?
What if focusing on heaven and hell out there keeps us from attending to the heaven and hell in our hearts?
We don’t have to look very hard to see hell on earth. History books, the news channels, prisons, and psych wards are replete with examples of the various kinds of hell in our midst. Since the beginning of recorded history, there has been weeping and gnashing of teeth among humans: jealousy, hatred, murder, debauchery, and every manner of evil has been perpetrated by humans upon other humans. The machinations of hell are not limited to any person or people group; evil can and does find its way through the heart of every human. It is no respecter of persons.
It can be a bit harder to spot heaven on earth, especially in the internet age of instant access to worldwide news. Unfortunately, uplifting stories do not make great clickbait. Driven by the mantra if it bleeds, it leads, major news outlets profit from juicy tidbits of divisive news that fan the flames of hell. Inundated by such darkness on a daily basis, it can be tempting to hunker down and pray for this life to end so that we can get on with the business of heaven.
Yet…Jesus prayed “thy kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven.”[i]
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[i] Matt. 6:10
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