by by Johnna Hensley

We make nearly 35,000 decisions every single day. That’s one decision every two seconds. What to make for dinner? When to fill up the car with gas? How many people to invite to the birthday party? Who will pick up the grocery order this afternoon? Where to go for dinner? The list goes on and on.

As a mother of six, my daily decision load is quite heavy. Making decisions for my children and their well-being are what take up most of my brain’s bandwidth these days. And though the choices I make for their daily well-being are important, the way I make those decisions (and even more crucial ones) is different than the world around me.

Life dealt me an opportunity to change my entire perspective about this temporal, fleeting world when my oldest child was born with a severe disability in 2007. My son spent 210 days in a NICU and faced eleven surgeries as an infant in an effort to keep him alive. As a young, new mom I was signing surgical consent forms for my son’s tracheostomy surgery, his brain surgeries, exploratory procedures with a 50% chance of survival – all of these experiences shook me to my core. I found myself sticking out like a sore thumb to the world around me.

While other young moms worried about the best kind of stroller and mini van to buy, which kind of baby swing was safest, and how to lose those stubborn last few pounds of baby weight, I was praying and begging God would save my son’s life. I was learning how to catheterize my son’s paralyzed bladder every three hours, I was practicing the best technique for changing oxygen tanks swiftly on the go, and searching for a vehicle to tote his medical equipment. My challenging circumstances certainly created my unique perspective, yet they also filled me with hope for the eternal.

One of the gifts of my son’s life has been a hope and desire for heaven that I never had before his birth. My son’s body is broken and ragged, crooked, and struggling. But because of the hope of heaven, I know for certain that my son’s first steps will be into the arms of Jesus. There’s such beauty in that and I can appreciate the incredible gift of restoration heaven will bring to those whose salvations rests in Him.

I’ve set my eyes on heaven. It is my home and it is where all of my hope rests. I now make all my decisions with eternity in mind. No more do I focus on this temporal world, I’ve locked my eyes on eternity, and I say yes to what God calls me to. What started out as feeling like a heavy, unfair burden of raising a disabled child was actually a gift of perspective and faith in a God whose ways and thoughts are no where near my own. His ways are sovereign and I completely trust Him, even when things in this world may be difficult to bear. I’ve learned that this broken world is just a vapor. My home is in heaven with my Creator and that is a place where moth and rust (and sin and sickness) will not destroy us. It’s where I’ve chosen to store up all my treasures, trophies, and crowns that will last through eternity and that I will be able to lay at His feet in worship.

With my perspective on heaven, I’ve cast aside what society and the world wants me to focus on. Going against the grain of the hustle and bustle of the American dream, I choose to say yes to adventures and God’s direction with palms open to the kingdom work at hand. This practice led my family to begin providing foster care to vulnerable children in 2018. God then led us to adopting three times in two years, a precious set of siblings I never would have encountered if I had my eyes only set on worldly ease. When I chose to exchange my comfort and selfish desires for God’s eternity, it led me down narrow paths I would not have been able to explore and enjoy had it not been for Jesus meeting me in the difficult places. All of those faithful yeses led me to writing my Christian memoir, Reckless Yes: Exchanging Worldly Ease for God’s Eternal Adventure and sharing some of the incredible ways God has moved mightily in my life.

I wonder if there’s a grand adventure God is calling you to. Has He invited you to find Him on the narrow road that leads to life? A journey that’s a bit off the beaten path where few find it? What’s holding you back? Is it the ease of the temporal world, or maybe it’s fear or feeling unqualified?

Friend, if God is calling you to meet Him for a great adventure, lean in and say yes! This is your chance to be reckless for the kingdom! Set your eyes on eternity and go all in to what God is calling you to. Step out of the boat and put your feet on top of the water. Keep your eyes, and perspective, locked on Him and the eternal hope that He offers. Let’s trade this temporal world for the adventures of an eternity!