Ah, Kirito, I’d forgotten how awesome you were.
In episode 16 of Sword Art Online, Kirito enters a new game, intent on finding Asuna, who is apparently being held captive therein. He doesn’t have much time to find her before she is forced to marry (*closes ears and ignores another silly plot point*). Lucky for him, then, that Kirito’s awesomeness transfers from Sword Art Online to ALfheim Online (not to be confused for a game featuring a fuzzy life form from the planet Melmac).
Kirito’s new quest begins when he sees a mysterious picture of Asuna and then learns of ALfheim – a brand new video game world.
I’m reminded of a world Christians believe in, but which is invisible to the naked eye – that of Heaven.
Unfortunately, this week, thoughts of the afterlife consistently came to mind because of a very sad event. One of my neighbors passed away suddenly – she was a quirky lady and a wonderful one, a true friend to my wife and me. Our family wept when we heard, and my 4-year-old was inconsolable.
When the death occurred, this invisible world, which I don’t think of enough, came right to the forefront of my mind. My friend resisted speaking about religion and did not attend church, but what was her faith really like? Is she in Heaven? Will we see her again one day? I can’t say – that was between her and God.
Death led me to think about the heavenly world. It can also lead others who don’t know of it or who resist it to think about another world as well. As Kirito charges forward with a comatose Asuna on his mind, another friend, with whom I met this week, has come to faith after having major surgery and being ill for a long time. The specter of death causes us to think about what is to come.
And “what is to come” might equate to “nothing” for you. Those who’ve had near-death experiences might say otherwise; so would scripture and the argument that a loving God, reflected in nature and Christ, would have something more (and greater) in store for us.
My hope is that you’ll embrace these rumors, even if it takes tragedy in your life to do so.
After all – sometimes rumors are true.