TRANSCRIPT 🔗
WEBVTT
00:00:02.160 --> 00:00:04.160
What happens when we die?
00:00:04.160 --> 00:00:06.639
Or do we die?
00:00:06.639 --> 00:00:12.720
We're going to talk about faith and the journey it takes us on.
00:00:12.720 --> 00:00:14.480
Come on, join me.
00:00:14.480 --> 00:00:21.519
Welcome to Hope Blvd.
00:00:21.519 --> 00:00:22.800
I'm Geri Carlson.
00:00:22.800 --> 00:00:26.879
I am your host, and this is episode number 16.
00:00:26.879 --> 00:00:30.960
I cannot believe that we have been doing this for four months.
00:00:30.960 --> 00:00:32.560
I'm really excited.
00:00:32.560 --> 00:00:34.640
So thank you for tuning in.
00:00:34.640 --> 00:00:37.520
I love being able to connect with you friends.
00:00:37.520 --> 00:00:47.119
If this is your first time here, well, you are in very good company because I have some of the sweetest listeners here.
00:00:47.119 --> 00:00:49.359
I'm just grateful for all of you.
00:00:49.359 --> 00:00:51.600
Thanks so much for being here.
00:00:51.600 --> 00:00:55.920
We are about all things hope, faith, and determination.
00:00:55.920 --> 00:01:03.359
And I'm going to talk to you about all three of those things now with an additional highlight on faith.
00:01:03.359 --> 00:01:06.239
So let's get started.
00:01:06.239 --> 00:01:17.840
When I was struggling, suffering really, with an acute attack from my newly diagnosed very rare and genetic blood disorder called porphyria.
00:01:17.840 --> 00:01:20.159
Yeah, that's a mouthful.
00:01:20.159 --> 00:01:26.000
It was the hardest time of my life.
00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:30.079
The worst of it lasted for about two years.
00:01:30.079 --> 00:01:37.040
When family and friends first learned that I became paralyzed from the neck down, they could hardly believe it.
00:01:37.040 --> 00:01:40.560
And frankly, neither could we.
00:01:40.560 --> 00:01:43.599
It seemed to come out of nowhere, you know?
00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:45.120
It was a nightmare.
00:01:45.120 --> 00:01:47.200
And it affected my family as well.
00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:49.680
And I've mentioned that here before.
00:01:49.680 --> 00:02:01.519
As time went on, especially when I was hospitalized for those eight months, I remember having such urgency about my recovery.
00:02:01.519 --> 00:02:09.120
I needed my family and everyone else to know that this was not going to be the new me.
00:02:09.120 --> 00:02:11.919
My condition was temporary.
00:02:11.919 --> 00:02:16.800
I was not accepting any of this, and there was not going to be a new norm.
00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:19.840
I was believing for healing.
00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:35.520
But even though my family often spoke of me being such a determined person, I was afraid they might grow weary and start to think that we needed to just accept my limitations.
00:02:35.520 --> 00:02:38.479
Thankfully, they never did.
00:02:38.479 --> 00:02:45.680
And then I would think of people like Joni Erickson Tada, who is such an inspiration.
00:02:45.680 --> 00:02:52.240
She became paralyzed and has lived as a quadriplegic for around 60 years or so.
00:02:52.240 --> 00:03:00.240
And I thought about how she must have prayed and pleaded and had long talks with God about her healing.
00:03:00.240 --> 00:03:06.159
No doubt there were countless people praying for her around the world.
00:03:06.159 --> 00:03:08.240
I'm sure there still are.
00:03:08.240 --> 00:03:22.080
And who was I to think that I should be so blessed to have some healing that would allow me to walk again and function like I used to before all of this happened?
00:03:22.080 --> 00:03:31.599
Some of those thoughts caused me to feel guilty that I was insisting on walking again when others didn't reach that goal.
00:03:31.599 --> 00:03:42.879
I thought of all the veterans and other people who had been involved in horrific accidents and whose lives had been transformed.
00:03:42.879 --> 00:03:50.000
I thought about how it was beyond their control, just like it was beyond my control.
00:03:50.000 --> 00:03:57.280
But I was going to pray and believe that I would walk again and continue my life with some purpose.
00:03:57.280 --> 00:04:02.639
And if it be God's will, he would work that plan out just beautifully.
00:04:02.639 --> 00:04:08.560
And if not, then I needed to trust that he had a good reason.
00:04:08.560 --> 00:04:16.240
I needed to trust that God's plan would be better, even if it meant my suffering would continue.
00:04:16.240 --> 00:04:19.519
That's what faith is.
00:04:19.519 --> 00:04:20.879
It's trust.
00:04:20.879 --> 00:04:25.759
And I wasn't always the best example.
00:04:25.759 --> 00:04:34.480
I wanted to believe that everything was going to be okay because God was going to be in control of it all.
00:04:34.480 --> 00:04:44.800
But in the meantime, what about the pain and the suffering and the fear of me never walking again?
00:04:44.800 --> 00:04:48.959
Talk about putting your faith to the test.
00:04:48.959 --> 00:04:55.759
I also kept thinking about how God turns ashes into beauty.
00:04:55.759 --> 00:05:04.720
And I wondered how this story, my story, was going to turn out beautifully.
00:05:04.720 --> 00:05:11.600
I wondered how he would use this in a way that would glorify him, rightfully so.
00:05:11.600 --> 00:05:14.079
That's what I wanted.
00:05:14.079 --> 00:05:23.279
And I was also bold in my prayer to ask that while he be glorified, he also end my suffering.
00:05:23.279 --> 00:05:29.199
My purpose going forward was yet to be determined.
00:05:29.199 --> 00:05:37.680
I wasn't sure what that was going to look like, frankly, but I knew I wanted to be faithful.
00:05:37.680 --> 00:05:40.800
I was certainly hopeful.
00:05:40.800 --> 00:05:44.480
And that brings me to my faith take.
00:05:44.480 --> 00:05:46.639
Faith.
00:05:46.639 --> 00:05:48.879
What is it exactly?
00:05:48.879 --> 00:05:51.199
How do we know we have it?
00:05:51.199 --> 00:05:53.680
What is your level of faith?
00:05:53.680 --> 00:05:58.000
And how far should we go
Load full transcript
with this faith?
00:05:58.000 --> 00:06:02.399
And what does it look like when we're all in?
00:06:02.399 --> 00:06:08.720
If we're going to talk about faith, I think it's important to go to the source.
00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:14.399
Unless your faith is elsewhere, God's word defines faith.
00:06:14.399 --> 00:06:23.920
In my inaugural episode of Hope Blvd, okay, I practiced saying that actually.
00:06:23.920 --> 00:06:32.560
My first episode of Hope Blvd, I shared a definition of hope, being a confident expectation.
00:06:32.560 --> 00:06:38.480
When it comes to faith, the best definition is in the Bible.
00:06:38.480 --> 00:06:44.560
The book of Hebrews in the New Testament offers some of the best depictions of faith.
00:06:44.560 --> 00:06:54.720
Hebrews 11, verse 1 says, Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
00:06:54.720 --> 00:07:00.720
This is one of the clearest definitions of faith.
00:07:00.720 --> 00:07:12.639
The rest of Hebrews 11 walks us through examples of people who live their faith out, like Abraham, Noah, Sarah, Moses, and others.
00:07:12.639 --> 00:07:20.079
I mean, amazing, incredible stories, beautiful examples.
00:07:20.079 --> 00:07:26.000
They didn't always do it perfectly, but what an example for us.
00:07:26.000 --> 00:07:31.759
James 2, verse 17 says this.
00:07:31.759 --> 00:07:39.120
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
00:07:39.120 --> 00:07:45.279
James pushes on the idea that real faith shows up in how you live.
00:07:45.279 --> 00:07:50.079
That is what I want to get to here in a moment.
00:07:50.079 --> 00:07:59.759
First, Galatians 2.20 says, I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.
00:07:59.759 --> 00:08:09.519
The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.
00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:12.639
That is quite strong.
00:08:12.639 --> 00:08:15.920
Our sunroom is my sanctuary.
00:08:15.920 --> 00:08:17.519
It's home.
00:08:17.519 --> 00:08:20.879
It's our favorite place to be for me and Rob.
00:08:20.879 --> 00:08:25.439
The view is beautiful and we feel really blessed here.
00:08:25.439 --> 00:08:28.399
But it's not our forever home.
00:08:28.399 --> 00:08:31.600
Our forever home is an eternity.
00:08:31.600 --> 00:08:38.320
I know that this is a challenging concept for some people, even some Christians.
00:08:38.320 --> 00:08:48.320
As comfortable as it is, as lovely as the view is, our little sunroom is not my forever home, nor would I want it to be.
00:08:48.320 --> 00:08:51.600
We have a much better place to be.
00:08:51.600 --> 00:09:02.480
And when I take my last breath on earth, I will leave this body that, pardon the expression, I am boxed in currently, flesh and blood.
00:09:02.480 --> 00:09:11.600
And when I leave this earth and this body, I'll take me, all of me, my spirit and my soul.
00:09:11.600 --> 00:09:13.679
That's who we
really are.
00:09:13.679 --> 00:09:16.480
And that's what we leave this earth with.
00:09:16.480 --> 00:09:21.759
It's still us with our thoughts and personality.
00:09:21.759 --> 00:09:34.000
And if we have accepted Jesus as our Savior, then we will be spending time with him, absent from the body, present with the Lord.
00:09:34.000 --> 00:09:42.480
When we leave this earth, we take our last breath here on earth and we leave this body that we are currently in.
00:09:42.480 --> 00:09:45.120
And we get a new body.
00:09:45.120 --> 00:09:49.200
But we are still us, wholly us.
00:09:49.200 --> 00:09:52.320
I just really want to make that clear.
00:09:52.320 --> 00:10:05.840
We continue to our new home, provided that we accept Jesus as our savior, because look, if you don't accept Jesus as your savior, then you've basically made a decision that you don't want that.
00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:10.000
You don't want him, and he won't force you.
00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:12.159
So it is a choice.
00:10:12.159 --> 00:10:19.039
That to me, for those who don't choose, is the saddest thing I can imagine.
00:10:19.039 --> 00:10:22.240
I can't even imagine that.
00:10:22.240 --> 00:10:26.720
I wouldn't want that for you or for anybody.
00:10:26.720 --> 00:10:38.480
We need to be encouraged that when we repent of our sins and ask God for his forgiveness, we can be assured that we will be forgiven because of what Jesus did on the cross.
00:10:38.480 --> 00:10:40.720
He paid the price.
00:10:40.720 --> 00:10:48.879
And I can tell you, friends, that I've had to repent of some really ugly things in my life.
00:10:48.879 --> 00:10:55.360
There are days I was a horrible Christian and made poor choices along the way.
00:10:55.360 --> 00:11:03.200
So to say I'm grateful that Jesus died for my sins so that I wouldn't have to do so is an understatement.
00:11:03.200 --> 00:11:09.600
So for that, I have longed to see the face of Jesus.
00:11:09.600 --> 00:11:12.320
I can't imagine his suffering.
00:11:12.320 --> 00:11:18.320
And the fact that it was for me and for you.
00:11:18.320 --> 00:11:26.639
When I was a child, I remember hearing the story of Jesus from the time I was a toddler.
00:11:26.639 --> 00:11:28.799
It's one of my earliest memories.
00:11:28.799 --> 00:11:39.519
And I remember thinking, why did he allow himself to be crucified on that cross for me?
00:11:39.519 --> 00:11:42.080
Why did he do it?
00:11:42.080 --> 00:11:44.559
He never sinned.
00:11:44.559 --> 00:12:04.000
I marvel at the fact that God would send his only son and then Jesus would actually, as his son, go forward and do this for us.
00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:06.879
It was brutal.
00:12:06.879 --> 00:12:15.279
If that doesn't make you want to live a life that's going to please God, I don't know what will.
00:12:15.279 --> 00:12:18.159
We don't do it perfectly.
00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:21.200
God knows I don't do it perfectly.
00:12:21.200 --> 00:12:23.600
Far, far from it.
00:12:23.600 --> 00:12:35.360
But then morning comes, and I get up and I do it again, and I am conscious of my choices, and sometimes I falter.
00:12:35.360 --> 00:12:37.440
Sometimes I blow it.
00:12:37.440 --> 00:12:50.240
And then I repent, I move on, I go forward, knowing that God is a forgiving God, God is a loving God.
00:12:50.240 --> 00:13:04.960
Why would I not want to live my life in a way that's going to honor the one and only who went forward for my sins to pay the price for me?
00:13:04.960 --> 00:13:08.000
I don't know.
00:13:08.000 --> 00:13:16.320
I just have never been able to wrap my mind around it in a way that I can understand.
00:13:16.320 --> 00:13:21.600
Because how can we understand that kind of love here on earth?
00:13:21.600 --> 00:13:26.799
It's it's beyond our comprehension.
00:13:26.799 --> 00:13:29.600
But I'll tell you one thing.
00:13:29.600 --> 00:13:37.600
I can't wait to look into the eyes of the one who loved me that much.
00:13:37.600 --> 00:13:41.600
He is worthy of praise.
00:13:41.600 --> 00:13:45.120
He is to be worshipped, him and him alone.
00:13:45.120 --> 00:13:47.759
Thank you, Jesus.
00:13:47.759 --> 00:14:02.159
And getting back to moving on to be with Jesus, when we leave this earth, we are in our new home, in our new bodies, and we are still us.
00:14:02.159 --> 00:14:06.639
And it will be joyful.
00:14:06.639 --> 00:14:08.879
There will be no sorrow.
00:14:08.879 --> 00:14:11.759
And personally, I can hardly wait for that.
00:14:11.759 --> 00:14:17.759
I think about it every day, and I have ever since I was a toddler.
00:14:17.759 --> 00:14:24.559
This isn't some new thought that came to me, some new revelation ever since I was paralyzed.
00:14:24.559 --> 00:14:30.799
No, this is something that I learned at a very young age, and I'm grateful for that.
00:14:30.799 --> 00:14:40.720
If you have young ones, who I hope that you're letting them hear everything about Jesus because he is love.
00:14:40.720 --> 00:14:49.519
So I can hardly wait for that day because I am living for eternity.
00:14:49.519 --> 00:14:55.519
I'm not waiting till I take my last breath to live like I'm in heaven.
00:14:55.519 --> 00:15:00.799
I start now with a desire to please God Almighty.
00:15:00.799 --> 00:15:04.639
I want to love people like Jesus loves.
00:15:04.639 --> 00:15:12.960
I want my actions to reflect that love because love is not just a word for a Hallmark card.
00:15:12.960 --> 00:15:13.840
You know?
00:15:13.840 --> 00:15:16.320
We need to show our love.
00:15:16.320 --> 00:15:18.879
But moving on.
00:15:18.879 --> 00:15:25.279
For that reason, I don't think of taking my last breath on this earth as dying.
00:15:25.279 --> 00:15:29.600
It's just changing addresses.
00:15:29.600 --> 00:15:36.399
And although it may seem like we're going far away, I think heaven is a lot closer than we know.
00:15:36.399 --> 00:15:54.639
In any case, the idea of taking my last breath here, and then in less than the blink of an eye, looking at the face of Jesus is something I have longed for my entire life.
00:15:54.639 --> 00:16:09.360
I'm pretty sure I'm going to be one of those ecstatic believers that will hound my poor Lord to pieces, begging him to allow me to come back and tell my loved ones all about it.
00:16:09.360 --> 00:16:15.039
I'm sure I'll want to share the great news of what it's like on the other side.
00:16:15.039 --> 00:16:19.279
But that won't happen because it doesn't work that way.
00:16:19.279 --> 00:16:27.120
You know, this isn't some weird spiritual concept or some strange, scary belief.
00:16:27.120 --> 00:16:31.600
It's the promise spoken of in God's word.
00:16:31.600 --> 00:16:34.879
Are you living for eternity?
00:16:34.879 --> 00:16:39.919
Are you living as if you are about to see your Lord, your creator?
00:16:39.919 --> 00:16:47.279
It might not happen today, but it will happen and probably sooner than you know.
00:16:47.279 --> 00:16:51.440
I pray for you all to have peace in that.
00:17:08.319 --> 00:17:12.640
Hey, I want to give a shout-out to Dr. Brad Miller and his podcast Cancer and Comedy, along with his lovely co-host Deb Krier. They are wonderful people, and I highly recommend the show.
00:17:12.640 --> 00:17:13.200
Dr.
00:17:13.200 --> 00:17:19.920
Brad finds ways of taking a heavy topic and finding the funny in some situations.
00:17:19.920 --> 00:17:23.279
I mean, after all, laughter is good medicine, right?
00:17:23.279 --> 00:17:24.000
Dr.
00:17:24.000 --> 00:17:31.680
Brad has been very supportive and encouraging to me and of our Hope Blvd show here, and I appreciate him very much.
00:17:31.680 --> 00:17:39.839
Check him out, cancerandcomedy.com, and you'll even see an interview that he did with yours truly several weeks ago.
00:17:39.839 --> 00:17:42.640
Leave him a comment and tell him I said hello.
00:17:42.640 --> 00:17:47.519
I am so glad you're here.
00:17:47.519 --> 00:17:55.759
Thank you so much for listening, and until our paths meet again, make it a great day for you and someone else.
00:17:55.759 --> 00:17:59.680
And remember, friends, there is always hope.
00:17:59.680 --> 00:18:00.880
Always.