"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."
Daniel 12:2
This chapter is Daniel talking about things that will happen in the last days, which in general is our time, but since it is stuff that we haven't seen yet, it is closer to the very last days than we are. :) Here, Daniel is talking about people being resurrected, and the distinction between two results of resurrection is pretty stark. Awaking to life or awaking to shame... eternal life doesn't sound as good if it is accompanied by shame or everlasting contempt (likely self-contempt here).
So, with this glimpse of the future that Daniel has given us, how do we avoid the bad future, and choose life rather than shame? I think that the core of it is to recognize the things that we don't like about ourselves right now, and seriously buckle down and work to change them. It seems impossible sometimes, I know, but it isn't by a long shot, and the reason it isn't impossible is that we have God to help us, and if we are willing to accept his help to change and improve, he can heal us... even from bad habits and desires that feel inseparable from the rest of ourselves. We can repent and change. With God's help we can not only learn not to *do* evil, but to not even want evil.
It takes time and effort, but God can help us even with motivation and laziness. :) He loves us, and the last thing that he wants is for us to spend eternity in self-contempt. If we have regrets and if we don't like ourselves, then let's take advantage of Christ's gift to us, and apply the atonement to our lives. It is that sacrifice that can give us the power and the will and the ability to change, even if we feel like we are stuck in the darkness. God can shine his light and help us back to the light.
Today, let's take the first step towards waking to life rather than shame. Let's do good and nothing that we could possibly be ashamed of for eternity. And tomorrow, maybe let's do more of that. Good and not bad… and it will get easier and easier to be good and to stick with God as we learn more about him and get more of his help. :)
Daniel 12:2
This chapter is Daniel talking about things that will happen in the last days, which in general is our time, but since it is stuff that we haven't seen yet, it is closer to the very last days than we are. :) Here, Daniel is talking about people being resurrected, and the distinction between two results of resurrection is pretty stark. Awaking to life or awaking to shame... eternal life doesn't sound as good if it is accompanied by shame or everlasting contempt (likely self-contempt here).
So, with this glimpse of the future that Daniel has given us, how do we avoid the bad future, and choose life rather than shame? I think that the core of it is to recognize the things that we don't like about ourselves right now, and seriously buckle down and work to change them. It seems impossible sometimes, I know, but it isn't by a long shot, and the reason it isn't impossible is that we have God to help us, and if we are willing to accept his help to change and improve, he can heal us... even from bad habits and desires that feel inseparable from the rest of ourselves. We can repent and change. With God's help we can not only learn not to *do* evil, but to not even want evil.
It takes time and effort, but God can help us even with motivation and laziness. :) He loves us, and the last thing that he wants is for us to spend eternity in self-contempt. If we have regrets and if we don't like ourselves, then let's take advantage of Christ's gift to us, and apply the atonement to our lives. It is that sacrifice that can give us the power and the will and the ability to change, even if we feel like we are stuck in the darkness. God can shine his light and help us back to the light.
Today, let's take the first step towards waking to life rather than shame. Let's do good and nothing that we could possibly be ashamed of for eternity. And tomorrow, maybe let's do more of that. Good and not bad… and it will get easier and easier to be good and to stick with God as we learn more about him and get more of his help. :)
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