Stephanie Anderson

Perhaps those who love children but never had any of their own on the old earth will have the privilege of helping raise children on the New Earth. We do know that what God has for us in eternity will be wonderful beyond comprehension!

 This would be a great subject to discuss with your pastor or another leader at your church—someone who knows you personally and can speak biblically into your lives with love and wisdom. And of course, I encourage you and your husband to ask Jesus if there is something more He wants you to do. 

Jesus is preparing His disciples for when He ascends, and He is speaking directly to them. But they also are representing Christ’s future church, and therefore all believers.

Ultimately, it’s an opportunity for us to trust Jesus and rest in His goodness and wisdom. He loves you and your husband more than you can possibly know. He has only good things ahead for all of us who are in Christ. We can trust Him! 

Randy writes, “God’s goal is that your life would be lived by the grace of Jesus.” When we are so captured by that grace, it’s not a chore or burden to give–it’s pure joy. 

The best thing you can do is replace those lies with the truth, and let the truth be what you focus on. Randy has shared this quote attributed to Martin Luther: “You can’t keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from making a nest in your hair.”

The article you shared repeats the same tired platitudes about joy vs. happiness that Randy addresses in his books. It all sounds spiritual… but writing such as this is based on very little other than frequently repeated half-truths in the Christian world!

We commend your and your husband’s desire to fully participate in the life of the church you are attending. While we can’t provide definitive answers to your questions, we can provide some follow-up questions for you both to reflect and pray through.

We do want to be very careful to keep the focus on Jesus, and remember that He is the only Mediator we need. (Seeking contact with the dead is clearly forbidden in Scripture.)