Devotional 6-9-17

Separation is Hell

Genesis 1:4  Common English Bible (CEB)
⁴ God saw how good the light was. God separated the light from the darkness.

On April 15, 1960, Rod Serling’s show, The Twilight Zone, aired an episode entitled “A Nice Place to Visit”.  Of course, the title came from the saying, “It’s a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live here.”  The story was about a ne’er- do- well named Henry “Rocky” Valentine who was shot by the police while robbing a pawn shop.

When Rocky awakens, he is greeted by a fellow named Pip who provides him with money, a furnished apartment, and women. Naturally, Rocky thinks that there’s been some sort of mistake, and he’s been admitted into Heaven!

This arrangement is wonderful - until it’s not. When Rocky wants a certain food it’s there. When he wants a certain woman, she’s there. And when he bets on a certain game, he wins – every time.

Eventually he grows bored with the situation and tells Pip that he’s tired of Heaven and wants to go to “the other place”. Pip laughs and tells him he’s not in Heaven. It is then that Rocky realizes he’s stuck in a place that offers no challenge and no hope. He’s separated from goodness. He’s separated from God. He is in Hell.

I was probably seven or eight when I saw this episode, but it made a lasting impression on me. It, along with my family and church, reminded me that to experience true joy, one had to work for it. Not because that’s what God demanded, but that it’s what comes when disappointment is replaced by hope, or hard work brings about happiness for oneself and others.

But no matter what we do, there will be times of darkness. It is then that we must ask for God’s love. No, he doesn’t need a reminder. He loves us always. But we need the reminder that we are loved always – no matter what hardship we face or terrible thing we’ve done.
It’s a shame that someone hadn’t taught Rocky Valentine about God’s love. Rocky could have said, “This is a nice place to visit, but I don’t want to live here. Separation is Hell.”

Our prayer comes from England Dan and John Ford Coley:
Light of the world, shine on me. Love is the answer.
Shine on us all; set us free. Love is the answer.
Amen

Becky Warren