Blog

Nov 22, 2025 06:00am

When Our Bodies Break Down, Heaven Builds Us New

11 Views

There’s this old funny song that George Younce sings called Side by Side. Have you heard it?

Here are the lyrics:

“We got married last Friday
My girl was right there beside me
Our friends were all gone
We were alone side by side

We were so happily wed when
She got ready for bed then
Her teeth and her hair
She placed in a chair side by side

One glass eye so tiny
One hearing aid so small
Then she took one leg off
and placed on the chair by the wall

I stood there broken hearted
Most of my girl had departed
I slept on the chair
There was more of her there side by side”

Watch here: https://youtu.be/eNffFJGaquM?si=DiCC3g9W4jcm0Nku

That’s funny! The truth is, our bodies are breaking down. There’s not a day that goes by that we don’t wake up with a new ache, pain, spot, crick, or bruise and think, “Where did that come from?”

Do you feel it? If there’s rain coming, I bet you can!

Well, let me give you some good news!

2 Corinthians 5:1–8
“For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3 For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. 4 While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. 5 God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.
6 So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. 7 For we live by believing and not by seeing. 8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.”

Remember the context here—the reason Paul is writing this letter. The church at Corinth was surrounded by Greek culture. Most Greeks did not believe in a bodily resurrection. But Paul reminded them that just as our Lord, body and spirit, was raised from the dead, so shall we.

But it won’t be this worn-out, broken-down version. It will be “new and improved!” Because of Christ, we will have glorified bodies in Heaven that will not be plagued with pain, sickness, or death. They will be perfect—complete and eternal!

For now, we remain in these earthly bodies. Why? Because God has called us to His work and purpose. Those aches and pains we feel as we age remind us that this world is not our home; our hope is in heaven.

As Paul concludes verse 8, he reminds us that we can rejoice, for when we are absent from this body on earth, we will be in the very presence of the Lord!

Now, that’s worth singing about!

Share that hope with someone today. Let them know that this life is not all there is. Tell them about Jesus and the eternal life He offers to all who will believe and trust in Him. Need help? Go to follow.lifeword.org to learn more about following Christ and teaching others to do the same. And in Spanish at follow.lifeword.org/spanish.

PS – Those inflatable suits don’t really add that much padding and protection for these old bodies!