My dad was seriously the best dad possible. During springtime, when I was in junior high, I would get done with school and he would ask, “Do you want to go fishing, play golf, or watch the Cubs this afternoon?” How many kids get asked that question every day? I never experienced an absent father like much of our world does. Dad was involved in every aspect of my life. He played sports with me, taught me how to work hard, how to have fun, and let me be the person God created me to be not the person he wanted me to be.

He was the greatest dad in the world and he died unexpectedly one year ago at the age of 55. This completely altered my perspective on the afterlife. For a year now I have wrestled with the concepts of resurrection and heaven.

Is Resurrection Real?

It feels silly sometimes to believe in life after death. Many think that the belief in heaven is strictly wishful thinking, a concept invented by humans to comfort our fear and provide for our complete lack of control in regards to death. For practical adults, resurrection makes no sense because it requires something supernatural to occur, beyond scientific and logical explanation.

My favorite movie, “The Shawshank Redemption” is a great analogy for our struggle with the concepts of resurrection and heaven. The movie takes place in a prison where the inmates see the same gray walls and rusty prison bars everyday. Most prisoners are resigned to the belief that they will spend the rest of their existence in this prison, never experiencing anything greater.

Andy Dufresne is different. He has the audacity to hope in something better. He hopes in the impossible, that one-day he will leave this prison and live in freedom beside an endless, blue ocean. His best friend, Red, is not nearly as ambitious. He, like many of us, thinks it is silly to hope for something better, a scenario that is seemingly impossible. He sees the reality of their situation and refuses to imagine anything better. In one of my favorite lines he tells Andy, “Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.”

Hope Can Drive A Man Insane

Sometimes I can’t help but feel this way. Why hope in the impossible? This is reality. Reality is this: a broken and unjust world, dealing with income, job performance, taxes, and stress. That’s just the way things are. I need to get on with life. Dad is gone. Why spend much needed energy, hoping in something that cannot be proven? I am an adult, why expend my thoughts on childish wishes

After leaving the prison, Andy writes something to Red that rings deep in my heart. “Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies. I will be hoping that this letter finds you, and finds you well.”

Later we see he has persuaded Red. Even though his situation has not changed he begins hoping to see his friend again. This hope carries him through. When tempted to give up or stop his journey, Red is urged on by the hope of a great reunion with Andy beside an endless, blue ocean.

Prison of Flesh and Blood

We live in a prison of flesh and blood. A prison of sickness, pain, and fears. Our lives are but a mere breath. We are born and will soon die. This darkness can invade our every thought; it can cloud our dreams and blur our vision.We can choose to reside in this darkness or we can choose to believe in something brighter; that our steep and rough journey is leading us to something greater. We can believe that Jesus conquered death and darkness and He is waiting for a reunion with us beside an endless, blue ocean; that our current struggles will disappear in the light of His glorious face.

It feels silly and pointless at times but I choose to hope. I hope that I will see my dad again. That we will go fishing on a pristine lake, under a never-ending sun. I hope that we will play catch for days while wearing our Cubs hats. That we will laugh and be overcome with joy. I hope in the seemingly impossible, in a God that has prepared a place for me, a God that takes joy in the ultimate redemption.