Misplaced Eternity: When Eternity and Death Collide: A Journey Through Grief

By Tijuana Smith

"Misplaced Eternity" is a profound work by Tijuana Smith, inspired by her deep Christian faith and the harrowing experience of losing eight family members in just seven months. The book delves into Smith's personal journey of wrestling with immense grief and seeking answers from God about death and suffering. It's a candid exploration of the natural despair felt in the face of loss that encourages readers to bring their hardest questions to God.

In this book, Smith candidly shares her struggles coping with the immense pain and confusion that accompany significant loss. She openly discusses how this period of her life led her to confront difficult questions about death, suffering, and God's role in the hardships we face.

Smith doesn't shy away from the complexity of these emotions and questions. Instead, she invites readers to join her on this journey of exploration. She uses her personal experiences as a framework to delve into biblical scripture, seeking not just comfort but also understanding and context for her pain.

Additionally, "Misplaced Eternity" is enriched with personal anecdotes that offer glimpses into Smith's life and her process of healing and acceptance. These stories add a deeply human touch to the book, making it relatable and authentic.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jan 22, 2024
• ISBN: 9780983701620

Book preview

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Misplaced Eternity

When Eternity and Death Collide: A Journey Through Grief

Copyright © 2023, Tijuana Smith.

All rights reserved.

Print ISBN: 978-0-98370-161-3

eBook ISBN: 978-0-98370-162-0

Dedication

To the cherished memories of our beloved, whose voices still echo in the chambers of our hearts, and whose love endures beyond the veil of this world. This book, Misplaced Eternity, is a homage to their everlasting presence in our lives and the unbreakable bonds we hold dear.

Within these pages, I honor the sacred journey of souls, embracing the promise of eternal life granted through the selfless sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. It is through His love and grace that we find the strength to navigate the tides of grief and the courage to face each new dawn.

For those who mourn, may this book be a source of comfort and hope, a reminder that in Christ, separation is but a temporary shadow. Here, we are united in the shared experience of loss, yet also in the blessed assurance of a reunion in the presence of our Heavenly Father.

This book serves as a tribute to the enduring spirit of those who have gone before us, a celebration of the eternal life promised to us through Christ’s love. It is a testament to the power of faith, the resilience of the human heart, and the unending nature of divine love.

To all who traverse the valleys of sorrow, may Misplaced Eternity offer solace and a gentle reminder of the glorious destiny that awaits us. In these moments of remembrance, let us find peace in the knowledge that our separation is but a brief pause in the grand tapestry of God’s eternal plan.

With heartfelt empathy and a deep reverence for our shared faith, this book is dedicated to you—the keepers of memories, the believers in eternal life, and the hopeful souls journeying towards everlasting peace and joy in the arms of our Savior.

Acknowledgements

The journey of writing Misplaced Eternity has been an enlightening and transformative experience, made possible by the contributions of many remarkable individuals. To each of them, I extend my heartfelt gratitude.

A heartfelt thank you to my brother-in-law, Pastor Peter Williams, for his encouragement and invaluable perspectives that have greatly enriched this work. I am deeply grateful to Dr. Ingrid Faro for her humility and sharing her unique insights on how life’s challenging circumstances can impact and test the faith of students. Her experiences have been integral in shaping the narratives within these pages.

My gratitude extends to Pastor and Author Michael Dow for his profound spiritual insights. Michael’s thoughts on the church’s role in preparing believers to cope with the loss of loved ones have been pivotal in understanding the spiritual dimensions of grief and loss.

My sincere appreciation goes to my church and Pastors Chip and Cyndi Block. Your prayers and spiritual support during my journey of writing this book have been a source of great comfort and inspiration.

To my childhood friend, Lynnette Williams, thank you for bravely sharing your personal story about the loss of your son to gun violence. Your trust and openness in such a delicate matter have touched my heart deeply and added an invaluable layer of authenticity to this work.

My family deserves a world of thanks for their unwavering encouragement and support. Embarking on the unfamiliar path of writing, a venture I had never envisioned for myself, was made possible through your belief in me and your constant encouragement.

Finally, to everyone who has shared their time, stories, and hearts with me—your contributions form the essence of Misplaced Eternity. This book is not just my voice, but a chorus of yours, resonating with the complex, deeply human experiences of faith, grief, loss, and the eternal quest for meaning.

Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart.

Tijuana Smith

Outline

Introduction

1. Eternity: A place outside of time

2. In the Beginning: Living with God in Peace and Harmony

3. The Gift and Purpose of Prayer

4. God’s Character Revealed in the Garden of Eden

5. The Pulse of Trust: A Divine and Human Connection

6. When the Pain is Too Great: Finding Comfort in Difficult Times

7. Living Life Upside Down

8. Head Over Heart Leadership & Authority

9. The Deceptive Heart

10. Permanent Plans for Temporary Home

11. Character Deficits Exposed Through Grief

12. Navigating Grief in the Wake of Relational Loss

13. Learning To Live with Heart Scars and Broken Pieces

14. Examining Eternity and Loss Through the Lens of Others

15. Eternity Through the Lens of Persecution

16. Identifying Different Types of Grievers and their Characteristics

17. Proper Responses to Those That Are Grieving

18. Grief and Fear of Eternity

19. Honoring Memories – Embracing Life

20. Re-Aligned Eternity

Introduction

Welcome to ‘Misplaced Eternity’, a book that aims to serve as a tool to help navigate the pain of loss by exploring the eternal nature of humanity and our relationship with God. The recent loss of 8 members of my family within 7 months has been a painful journey, but it has also reminded me that amid our grief, we can find peace, comfort and understanding through our faith in God and His infinite wisdom. This grief has allowed me to come face to face with the incongruence of our mind and heart. The fact that the Bible tells us that God put eternity in our heart lets us know that it was not God’s original intent for our hearts to experience the grief that comes from death. Because of sin, death came into the world, but through the sacrifice of Jesus, we have hope beyond this life.

In this book, I share my personal reflections and the lessons I have learned and continue to learn as I navigate through the pain of loss and the hope of eternity. Through examining biblical scripture, personal anecdotes, interviews with people from all walks of life and thought-provoking questions, I aim to provide a deeper perspective on how to come to terms with loss and find peace with God.

As we journey through this book, we will delve into what it means to have eternity within us and how we can live in a way that honors this gift. We will explore the importance of understanding death as part of God’s plan, the comfort that comes from the understanding of eternity and the importance of having faith in God and salvation through Jesus Christ.

I wrote this book with the hope that it will serve as a companion for anyone who has experienced loss and is struggling to make sense of it all. This book is not meant to provide easy answers to the complex questions that loss raises, but rather to guide us in asking the right questions that can lead to a deeper understanding of God’s infinite wisdom and the peace that comes from knowing that He has our best interest at heart.

So, join me on this journey as we wrestle with the internal discomforting emotions that our heart experiences as a result of the death of a person or relationship and discover the true meaning of eternity and the path towards peace. Together, we will learn to embrace our eternity and find hope in the midst of our pain.

Chapter One

Eternity:

A place outside of time

Eternity, as a concept, frequently poses a challenge to our human comprehension. Nevertheless, the Bible offers us profound insights into its true essence. Within its sacred pages, eternity is often depicted as transcending the bounds of time and surpassing our finite understanding. Unfettered by the limitations of our physical world, eternity remains impervious to the laws governing time and space.

Inextricably linked to the notion of God’s eternal and immutable nature, the Bible illustrates this idea by portraying God as the Alpha and Omega, the inception and culmination of all existence (Revelation 22:13). God’s presence, thus, exists beyond the confines of temporal reality. Moreover, the Bible also delves into the subject of eternal life—a life that not only persists indefinitely but one that is liberated from the shackles of sin, affliction, and mortality (Revelation 21:4).

Exploring the concept of eternity through biblical teachings, we are constantly reminded that our earthly existence is but a brief and transient moment within the infinite expanse of the cosmos. In the grand scheme of things, our ultimate destination transcends the boundaries of time, leading us to a dimension where temporality ceases to hold sway, and we are forever united with the Creator in an eternal communion of love and grace.

The scriptural account of creation, particularly the story of Adam and Eve, stands as a unique and defining moment within the chronology of time. As depicted in the book of Genesis, God masterfully crafted the world and all its inhabitants within six days (Genesis 1:1-31). On the sixth day, God fashioned Adam and Eve, bestowing upon them the gift of life, and placed them in the idyllic Garden of Eden—a pristine sanctuary emblematic of His divine presence and unwavering providence. Nonetheless, it is crucial to recognize that the notion of time within the spiritual domain differs vastly from our understanding of it within the material realm.

The Bible portrays God as transcending time, inhabiting eternity, and possessing an omniscient perspective that encompasses all past, present, and future events. Consequently, from God’s vantage point, temporal occurrences unfold simultaneously, rendering the future as lucid as the past. Although Adam and Eve were conceived and brought to life within the confines of time, their existence and communion with God were intended to mirror the eternal and timeless essence of the divine, offering profound insights into the nature of our ultimate union with the Creator in the realm of eternity.

The notion of being created within the confines of time yet existing in eternity is a multifaceted and intricate idea that has captivated the minds of philosophers and theologians for centuries. The Bible suggests that all of creation, encompassing human beings, was brought into existence within the temporal realm. Consequently, everything within creation is subject to change, transformation, and decay. On the other hand, the Bible also asserts that God resides beyond the limitations of time and embodies an eternal nature. This implies that God is not restricted or constrained by the temporal dimension and remains impervious to change or decay.

In the context of human beings, the Bible clearly states that we are fashioned in the image of God, which endows us with an eternal aspect to our existence. This eternal element is frequently identified as the soul or spirit, constituting the part of us that transcends the temporal domain and extends