STXWM Blog

I love this year’s national women’s ministries department theme, As it is in Heaven.  I think every Christ follower I know longs for Heaven for many reasons, chief among them, to see and worship our King. Along with seeing Jesus face to face, we will also be free from this world and all that it encompasses-sin, sickness, and death. 

Reading through the Lord’s prayer in the Sermon on the Mount has always been comforting to me. Maybe it is my background growing up in a Catholic family where every week at mass we, as a congregation, would recite from memory the Lord’s prayer. Sometimes we would even sing it recitation style and I loved it! Our world today is full of distractions, and our attention spans are showing less and less ability to stay on task. For me this includes when I am praying. 

Praying the Lord’s prayer is a great “reset” if you will. When I begin praying for an overwhelmed friend or the war in the Middle East or my daughter’s scoliosis or my son’s attitude or even my lost friends that I so desperately desire to know Jesus—more times than I would like to admit I get distracted and lose track of what I am praying for. I often get frustrated and feelings of guilt begin to rise up and further distract me from the beautiful privilege of communing with the God of the universe. Condemnation is not from the Lord. God convicts us of sin and grants us grace and mercy when we get separated from Him, but immense heavy condemnation and guilt are lies and tricks from the enemy to keep us from praying and doing the Lord’s will. 

If you too get distracted or lose your train of thought, reciting the Lord’s prayer is a wonderful way to realign your mind and soul with the Lord and get back to the prayers, thanksgivings, and petitions you were laying before the Lord. 

When I think “as it is in Heaven” my mind drifts to a vision God granted me many years ago when I was new to overseas ministry. I felt lost and out of my depth and like the weight of the world was on my shoulders to “save the lost.” Every negative interaction I had with a nonbeliever or language struggle I encountered with a person of peace felt like a failure to make heaven crowded. Now if you just shook your head and wanted to shake me because it is indeed not I who has the power to fill Heaven, then you would be justified. I had a lot to learn about working alongside the Lord and not for my own glory. 

In this vision I was kneeling in the throne room of heaven worshiping God and rejoicing. I was overwhelmed with joy and amazement. Then I looked to my left and then my right. All around me were souls from every tribe, speaking every tongue, and representing every nation! It was a powerful vision! The light around us was holy. The angels were shouting their praises and we were among them. We were valuable enough to be before our God and our King. This vision taught me many things including that the weight of eternity was never on my or your shoulders. That burden is placed on the shoulders of the only one strong and wise enough to carry it, Jesus. 

I believe that sharing the gospel should be natural and not feel forced. It is only natural to feel nervous or unqualified. But here is the beauty of it, we are unqualified and without the saving blood of Jesus we are unworthy sinners. But for Jesus. Someone loved us and cared for our eternity enough to direct our gaze to Jesus and we have the honor of doing the same for others. In fact, one of my most favorite approximations for sharing the gospel is, “we are all just beggars telling other beggars where to find lifegiving bread.” 

Heaven is wonderful for countless reasons and one of those is how incredibly diverse it will be. Not just souls from modern tribes, tongues, and nations will be represented but from every past present and future ones as well. The whole world was created by God and everyone in it, why wouldn’t our eternal home be the same?

This is also a very convicting thought. Does how and who I share the good news of Christ with reflect God’s heart for “as it is in Heaven?” Are we sharing with only people who can completely relate to or who look, sound, think, or act like us? Are we giving everyone we meet the opportunity to encounter Jesus through us? 

Every soul is valuable to God and He desires, “That none shall perish.” 2 Peter 3:9.  We are not responsible for the decisions that others make regarding their faith choices, however, we are responsible for the knowledge that God has given us. If we know that Jesus is the son of God born of a virgin. He died and was buried and rose again for our sins in fulfillment of the scriptures, then we are responsible for sharing that great news!  

To live here right now in 2026 as it is in Heaven we need to begin opening ourselves and our comfort zones up to all that Heaven has to offer. We serve a God of miracles and if we allow Him to use us, the ways in which He does will surprise and delight us!

I pray the gifts God has blessed you with will be magnified in your obedience to Him. I pray that all our eyes will be opened and we will step out in faith believing that God can and will use us to do mighty things in His name!

Lord, we come to you today as your children. We seek the love and comfort that only you, our awesome Father can give. Teach us to pray and move our feet and open our mouths to spread your word all around us so that not only can more people know of your love for them, but also for us to experience a little bit of Heaven here on earth. May it be in South Texas as it is in Heaven! May it be in our homes as it is in Heaven! May it be in our circles of influence as it is in Heaven! Amen.

by MaKenzie V.