Thoughts on Heaven
I read a lot of blogs throughout the week. (For those of you wondering what a blog is, it’s basically a website that someone updates regularly with articles. Picture being you’re own newspaper and getting to publish your own editorials, articles, news, etc.) One of the blogs that’s on my list is maintained by one of our Essential Church family members, Karen Johnson. This past week she shared a post on her thoughts regarding heaven and what God is showing her as she moves through this season of life. It’s one of the best articles on heaven I’ve ever read and I wanted to share it with you.
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by Karen Johnson on Thursday, February 04, 2010
My view of Heaven has radically changed in the past year and a half. When Joey departed earth, I had a dismally small view of Heaven–not that I knew that. In hindsight, I can see that I viewed it as a blandly mysterious, relatively colorless place, where people wait things out till the end of the world. It took me more than a few days to mentally transfer his spirit there, so abrupt was his departure. And then, I wasn’t comforted by my notion of it at all. All I could feel was the deep gaping void of his absence and a shattering sense that we all had been cheated of his life, all of us including Joey. As time has passed, I still conclude that we were cheated, but now I’m not so certain that he was. Now I’m thinking he’s the lucky one, he’s the leader, and like a kid at Disneyland, he was passed to the front of the line for a still unknown reason, and he’s loving every minute of it. He’s supremely alive in an incredibly, indescribably wonderful way.
What does it mean to be alive in Heaven? I know the specific verses about Heaven, but they are, in my opinion, very thin on description. I was initially discouraged by this because I had not developed my imagination about Heaven. I couldn’t picture what Joey was doing and I secretly felt it must not be much if God didn’t bother to describe it.
But bit by bit, new light has dawned. Scripture now reads like a new book to me. Old familiar words that I had taken for granted, have taken on new life and meaning. What I notice in a new way as I read , what pops out at me now, are all the verses on eternal life. Everywhere, everywhere, verses and promises and encouragement based on the idea of eternal life. Few descriptions of Heaven, but many, many promises about eternal life, over and over again. Jesus doesn’t explain what it is, but He relentlessly elevates it as the ultimate prize. It occurred to me that eternal life is not some space-agey place out in the stars that needs to be described. But it is this life, only the best of this life, the perfect part originally created by God before sin, continuing on. In a better way, in a better place, with better people, and with our beautiful God in the center of it all. Paradise.
My favorite verse is this one from John 11:25-26: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Those words tell me that death for a believer in Christ, like my son Joey, is merely a matter of geography–alive, but in a different place. Though we are suffering loss, Joey isn’t. He simply shed a fragile skin, but he’s alive, he never died, he lives in spite of dying–however you say it, it’s good news. I think I thought I believed that before Joey departed, but then the unthinkable happened and the reality of the death of our beloved was so much more horrible than I ever imagined, I just wasn’t sure of anything anymore.
If God has done anything in me since Joey left, it’s been to re-shape my view of Heaven. Over and over again, I see and hear things that rebuild my confidence in its reality. I’m taking it personally. I believe God is on a campaign to convince me of the reality of Heaven. And it’s not just from His Word, which is ultimately powerful, but He is corroborating His Word from nature, from history, from music, from movies, from the longings of our hearts for perfection, beauty and love.
It’s safe to say it’s a conviction now. I don’t doubt it anymore. I don’t dread it anymore. It’s vivid and full of life and creation. It’s better to me than earth, this place that I used to love so well that I tried to squeeze every bit of life out of it. I confess I mistook it for heaven and counted on it too much for my happiness. I’ve had to do quite a bit of reorganizing my life around some new truth. But now I’m certain that the place of my dreams lies in my future. And now, more often than not, I’m restlessly biding my time for my Homecoming day, and instead of longing for Joey to return, I long to go there and be with him.
Related Articles by topic on Karen’s blog: death, god, heaven
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This post is filled with the “stuff of life”. The line that rings out in my head…”I believe God is on a campaign to convince me of the reality of Heaven”….Your insights address the slowness of my heart to embrace this Truth. Thank you Karen.
Rick
simply beautiful.
Hi there. I have never attended your chuch, but it has been recommended to me by a good friend. I was looking around the church’s website and came across your article. It’s absolutely amazing! You’ve really created a wonderful picture of what Heaven is, and with your loss, God has helped you touch more lives than you’ll ever know. Thank you!
Ali,
Thanks for stopping by the website. I’ll pass the encouraging words on to Karen.
Live for the Blessing,
Steve
this was a very touching story to me. I love to hear about people coming closer to God. Our point af view is so different than your creators. This world is a beautifull place created by God for us. I believe that God is in us all. God lives in us, and sees through our eyes. God looks at his creation, nature and people. And God loves all he made. God is good and does not make bad things or bad things happen. We ad humans may se them as bad, but if you take a different view, it all looks totally different. When the bad things come up in my life they draw me closer to God. I believe this is Gods way let me know that I need him. This world was created for us to live in. I enjoyed your blog and I need the constant reminder about “the ultimate prize”. my prayers will be with you. don’t stop talking about God, WE all need to preach more often and let others know about our creator and the goal.
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