“…my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out. 

“And that’s not all. You will have complete and free access to God’s Kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven…” -Matthew 16:18-19

Many years ago, I heard a preacher talk about how learning about God’s Kingdom can be like window shopping, looking in on the beautiful treasure that God created Life to be but not being able to reach it. 

My interpretation: Window shopping is like head knowledge without surrender.

Through the years, I have discovered that there are days when it seems the glass window is gone and I am walking in stride with our Creator instead of just looking at something so beautiful yet untouchable. Albeit, while I can’t touch God’s Kingdom; He touches me, and He is beautiful. But! When I read scripture like this, I seem to be back outside the store window, looking at something so pure and beautiful and yet not completely sure how to get through the glass and reach it. “No more barriers between heaven and earth.” Amazing. Perfect. God’s Kingdom.

Every layer of surrender seems to be lined with yet another piece of this world. Complete surrender, the beauty and glory of being fully His, seems distant – separated by a whole lot of nothingness, aka this world. My mind wants it, my heart aches for it, my soul yearns to go home, but my flesh is weak. 

So I cling to hope in His promise: “Jesus looked hard at them and said, ‘No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it.’ “ – Matthew 19:26

Amen.