Then we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage each other with these words.   1 Thessalonians 4:17-18

As children, we had fairy tales read to us and they usually ended with, “And they all lived happily ever after,” right? We all want the fairy tale. If you go to the last few books of Revelation, you see that we get the fairy tale for eternity when we trust in the Lord as our Savior and obey Him while we live here on earth.

Throughout the Old Testament we see people who went through some horrible circumstances but remained faithful to the Lord. These people came through these trying times and were put in even better positions. When we read about Esther, Mordecai, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, Ruth, Nehemiah and Job, we see that they all went through some very trying times, but all was well for them in the end.

What is your fairy tale? Do you hope for the white picket fence, the two kids, and the dog? Do you hope for a certain job? We all have dreams and aspirations. Some of us have lived out some of our dreams and some have had to accept that they will never happen or only some of them will happen.

As Christians, however, we will suffer trying times on earth. We may even be persecuted for our faith. In John 16:33 Jesus tells us we will suffer while we live in this world. He also tells us to be courageous because He has conquered the world.

Yesterday we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because He shed his blood on the cross and rose from the dead, we can be forgiven of our sins and spend eternity with Him in heaven. Through Him we can conquer sin and death just as He did. We are told in Romans 8:37 that we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. He loved us enough to die for us so we can be victorious over sin and death.

Often times we don’t get all we had hoped for here on earth. We have dreams that never become realities. I have learned that when God says no to our prayer it usually means He has a better plan for us. He knows what our future holds and if we surrender our lives to Him, He will guide us on the right path.

Ever after is not a thing of fairy tales, eternity is real. Heaven is real. Hell is real. And it is a reality that we will spend eternity in one of those two places. God wants us to be in heaven with Him for eternity, but He gives us free will. He lets us choose where we will spend forever.

If you want to be happy forever, you need to surrender your life with Him. You need to trust in Him and obey Him. You need to love Him with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind. This does not mean that you will be living a fairy tale here on earth. You will probably face some serious trials and tribulations. It does, however, mean that you will live in glorious bliss for all of eternity.

It means that He will wipe all your tears away (Revelation 21:4) and there will be no more death, grief, crying or pain. It means you will go to a mansion He has prepared for you (John 14:2). It means you will walk on streets of gold in a city where walls are made of precious gemstones and gates are made of pearl (Revelation 21:9-27).

And my friend, that’s how you live happily ever after.

Have a great day!