Have you ever wondered what heaven is like? I mean, what will it really be like? Streets of gold, ya think? Pearly gates, ya think? Peter was pretty high up there (no pun intended) as far the saints go, why should he get the stinking check-in desk job? Come on!
Some people get more jewels in their crown than others? A caste system in Heaven??
What about dogs? I personally don't love dogs, so...what? I check in to the non K9 section? My kids love dogs, so now what?
What language will we speak? My dad always told us as kids it would be Frisian, the language we spoke at home.
What about all that singing? What if you HATE singing? I know for a fact that that's the very reason a lot of men won't go to church. All that singing. Why can't we shoot hoops during that part of the service? Or just listen to the Eagles "Learn to be Still"?
Me? I'm going looking for my dad when I get there. He'll probably be arguing doctrine with Paul or some other former ruffian he could associate with. Maybe we could go swingin' on heaven's monkey bars and swing so high when we let go we'd smack into the stars. Or go make ice cream out of the milky way and gobble it down in the shade of the moon. Or maybe, just maybe, he's finally got time to play a little catch. We could even have a little pick-up game. You know, Adam at first, Eve at second, Zacchaeus at short, 3rd John at third, a thief out in left, God in center, and everybody else in right. Oh and let's not forget catcher. Peter, James, Andrew or John could ALL catch! Jesus would pitch of course. Wouldn't that be fun? You'd always get a perfect strike.
I have no idea what to think when it comes to heaven. I mean, we are so small-minded compared to God. We think we have a clue what opulence is and that it will likely be that...opulent. A child in a third world country thinks eating everyday is heaven!
We can't even imagine what this ball we live on will be like in five years, how can we possibly pretend to know what the God of the universe has up his sleeve? We're limited to a finite mind and it's feeble capabilities. We're not able to fathom how completely unfathomable heaven will be. It's fun to think about though. And sobering. Makes me wonder why I do the idiotic things I do. Why I get so bent and behave so childishly about so many things that ultimately don't matter as much as I think they do. What matters most is my relationship to God and my relationship to YOU. Let's work on healing those, shall we?
I'm ready.
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John, I read the book 'Black' this summer. First in a three book series. A very creative novel that you would enjoy. Several images are wonderful in the book with his discription of "heaven" particualarly so. It moved me so much I shared it several times with a few friends.
There is a lot to be distracted by in our western world. Toys and 401 (k)'s to name a few. The eastern and third worlds are distracted by a food and war. Politics distracts us all.
The idea of remembering forward to heaven is one I'll take with me today and probably the next few seasons to go. Todays ache is tomorrows maturity?! Sounds nice in a sermon, but when I ache, when my soul aches and my heart joins in.....I don't relish the process. It flat out hurts and tomorrow seems like forever. My gut reminds me that I have lost something somewhere and its not coming back. Dignity, respect a friend....all the above. Something like that anyway.
And while I am rambling: there seems to be no beauty that does not come from pain and no strength that does not come from the same. To become more of who we are meant to be we must hurt. sometimes we hurt others along the way. I have done my share and I am probably not done yet. I hate that with all thats in me and trust that you are right. There is a heaven, it is a nice place and that freinds and loved ones will be united. I'm staking it all on that.
So, I'm with you.
Mark
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