Kayla Barnes-Lentz and Warren Lentz, known to the internet as the “biohacker” couple, are determined to live until at least 150 years of age. They have a vigorous schedule, including pulsed electromagnetic field therapy and spending time in their hyperbaric chamber. Their journey may sound excessive and expensive, but it follows the path of many who wish to slow the ageing process. Those who have the funds, mainly million and billionaires, are seemingly obsessed with expensive anti-ageing therapies and longevity drugs. The rest of us fall prey to the promises of those on social media who fill our feed with secrets on how to look young—Botox, wonder drugs, natural remedies and more.
This isn’t just a problem of the age of the internet either. For thousands of years, we have told stories of mortals who have achieved immortality, of intrepid trailblazers who have gone on journeys to find the fountain of youth that they may live forever. It is apparent that as humans, we simply cannot accept the thought of our lives ending.
the innocence of youth
As children, we don’t think about these things. We don’t worry about death or what we are going to do in the future. Every possibility seems open. I wanted to be a ballet dancer—it seemed like the perfect career at age four. Ask any kindergarten class and you’re bound to find at least one astronaut, one fighter pilot, several doctors and much more.
But what seemed easy as a child becomes difficult as we get older. We realise the time, effort and money that go into dreams. Doors are shut in our faces, we receive rejection letters, loans are denied and soon we’ve decided that the moon is too far away—and we’d better settle for something within our atmosphere.
As a young person, it can be difficult to realise that not everything I dreamed of doing can come true. Some dreams naturally evaporate, while letting go of others are more painful. It’s frustrating to hear the voices from all sides telling me that these are the best years of my life and that I’m only young once. I feel as though I must do everything now and make the most of it while I can, because if not, I’ll have regrets. I worry that I’m not taking advantage of all the opportunities that come my way—but I’m also just trying to make enough money to pay my rent in Sydney. Many might think I’m too young to think about the finiteness of life but as I’ve entered adulthood, I’ve realised that time is our biggest affliction. The clock ticks away, second by second, and we age.
I’ve had many conversations with elderly people in recent years. I’ve watched their tears as they struggle with the knowledge that they may never see a loved one or their homeland again, or simply because they are no longer as full of life as they once were. Some live with painful regrets, while others have none. Some cannot reconcile with their lives ending, while others are at peace. What makes the difference?
facing down death
I was discussing this with a friend recently, who recounted her granddad’s story. Diagnosed with an autoimmune disease 25 years ago and given only several years to live, he was struggling with these very thoughts: that he was running out of time, had not fulfilled his dreams and had not done everything he wanted to do. One night, he dreamed that he was holding a cup of water in his hands. The water represented his life and it was leaking out of the cup and between his fingers. He watched in utter despair as time trickled out of reach. Then he heard a voice that said, “Look up.” He did, and saw he was standing on the shore of a vast ocean. Instantly, he was filled with peace, instinctively knowing that that ocean represented eternity, promised to him by Jesus. My friend’s granddad is still alive, but it doesn’t matter if or when the water in his cup ends—he has a vast ocean of life awaiting him. As do we all.
If you don’t believe in heaven or the afterlife, then this life can seem hopeless. We’re born, we struggle, we may have some happy moments, but then water trickles out of our cups and that’s it. Not to diminish the beautiful lives we can lead, but no-one can say they are without difficulties, nor that they have not considered their incredible fragility. However, the Bible tells us that we are not bound by a hundred years, outlining that death is like sleep, and once awakened when Jesus comes again, we will spend infinity with our Creator.
what’s heaven really like?
What do you think infinity looks like? I find that most of us have a narrow view of heaven. Some of us grew up with this picture: an impossibly green field, with children in white robes playing with lions and lambs backdropped by a shining city. Don’t forget the harps. My younger self guiltily used to think it looked boring, and hoped I would grow up before Jesus came back, publish my first book, travel, learn the bagpipes before I was stuck with a harp forever. In other words, I desperately wanted to do things with my life before eternity in a green meadow came upon me. Perhaps you can relate. But the Bible says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
Have we really put our imaginations to the test and thought about what infinity could be like? We know from the Bible (Revelation 21) that after being taken to heaven with God, we will be brought back to our own earth—a planet made new and perfect. Imagine our world now, with its beautiful biodiversity and varying cultures, but free of destruction, pollution and death. And as for being bored, we were created to be innovative, to create and grow things. Perfect doesn’t mean there’s no room for improvement. Look at the Garden of Eden, created at the very beginning. Before death, it was beautiful and perfect. Yet God still “took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15). Imagine a group of architects assembling an intricate bridge across a river and asking God for His advice. Imagine biologists discovering secrets in the genetic code. Imagine artists painting achingly beautiful art, without the desire to cut off their own ears. Imagine learning without the late nights and stressful exams. Imagine ambition without the love of power or creativity without jealousy.
Dreams now on earth can’t be realised for several reasons—lack of time, lack of money or lack of resources—but I imagine that in our new earth we won’t stop loving the things we loved here now. It will be a place where our dreams can be realised, because we will have infinity. Jesus tells us to be like little children. What if part of having child-like faith is keeping that ability to dream and wonder without fear of the future?
Knowing eternity gives us peace in a finite life. We cannot stop the ageing process but we do have a way out—a glorious, eternal future, where creativity and love will abound. I often feel as though this life can’t contain all my hopes and dreams—so that’s why I have the next life. I don’t have to worry so much about getting somewhere, about making something of myself, of doing everything now while I’m still able. This world is not all there is. I hope to carry this with me throughout my life, so that when the last trickle of water is seeping out of my cup, whenever that may be, I will have peace because of the ocean that awaits me.
