For several years now, my church has a tradition of celebrating July 4th at the cross on our campus with a huge picnic / baptism / concert / fireworks extravaganza. Thousands of people bring blankets, lawn chairs, wagons, umbrellas, food and cans of OFF for a laid-back night of thanking God for our freedom – both the red, white and blue AND the eternal. It’s one of the highlights of the year for us!

The fireworks were beautiful as they exploded with color behind the magnificent white cross, however their beauty was overshadowed a little this year.

As soon as the first pop crackled through the air, two of my four children started crying and climbed up into my lap. By the third or fourth pop, I had three kids clinging to me for comfort.

But rather than get frustrated or scold them for overreacting, for the first time I tried to experience the fireworks from their perspective. I noticed the unpredictability of the explosions. I realized how loud the noises were. I saw that there was no way to escape. I felt small and fragile compared to the huge display of lights. I noticed how the wind blew the smoke in the direction of the firetruck that was parked nearby “just in case.”

The beauty of the fireworks was still there, of course, but from a child’s perspective, the beauty was buried so far beneath all of the layers of uncertainty, it was almost unnoticeable.

And for some reason, this verse came to mind:  “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NIV).

Fireworks in eternity

So often, we experience this world just like a child experiences fireworks. We see the scary parts. We focus on the uncertainties. We fail to see the eternal beauty behind the noises, trials and surprises that explode all around us. With experience, a child comes to enjoy the fireworks because he understands that the scary parts are what make the beautiful parts possible.

And with time, we too can come to enjoy life more and more when we understand that it’s often the scary parts of life – like the troubles of this world – that make the beautiful parts – like spiritual growth and eternal purpose – possible.

“In this world, you will have scary loud noises, smoke and feelings of hopelessness. But take heart! I am making  fireworks in eternity!”