heaven

so for christmas my dad got this cd set called Heaven (by randy alcorn). i think it's probably a book on tape. it is actually on some of those new fangled compact discs, as the youngsters like to use nowadays. i've decided to listen to it, because i have not thought too very much about heaven, and i think there is probably plenty about it in scripture that i'm not aware of. so i'm going to put down some of my very basic thoughts about it, for three reasons. one: to prove my claim that i haven't really thought much about it. two: to give myself something of a sense of accountability to ALL OF YOU, so i will actually follow through with it. three: so when i'm done, i can compare these thoughts (and any others you've left me) with what i've heard on the compact discs, and we can all learn together.

i guess my first thought is that we don't really think or talk or hear about heaven much. (i'm not blaming anyone for my ignorance, i'm just observing.) isn't heaven what this christian life is mostly about? it's what comes at the end of the journey for those who believe in christ. something i've noticed is that we don't really sing about it anymore either. take a look at most of the older classic hymns, and most of them have lines or often an entire verse (usually the last, naturally) about "crossing the river Jordan" or "going home to see my Jesus." see?! it sounds old-fashioned, doesn't it??

and while heaven is definitely not talked about enough, i think there's another wrong way to look at it: as the point, or the end, of our lives. (by end i don't mean the literal end; i mean as the goal.) the true goal should be to glorify God, whether we "get to go to heaven" or not. that sounds so unusual, so perhaps it's not true after all. or maybe we have never really thought of what it'd be like to not be going to heaven. i think that's kind of how some evangelists end up sounding, even if they don't mean to: "heaven is what you want, right? God is how you get there." that's surely not the best way to look at it.

this is a guess. but i'd think we would see a more heavenward emphasis in those geographic areas where material possessions are not present at the grossly gratuitous levels seen in our country. that seems pretty intuitive: when there is less to love on earth, we are forced -- or perhaps more fully allowed? -- to long for what is not on earth. our relative wealth and comfort, then, are potential blockades in the way of a true Christ-centered life. ....AND i guess that's something that's been said a million times before. :)

as for what heaven is actually like? i never really tried to imagine it because i know it is literally "outside my mind," but i just have this bright white-gold color in my mind, i think from a picture in a kids' book. i think of gold and brightness and misty floaty things and sparkles and, weirdly enough, silence, or just a vague chorus of angel-ish music coming from nowhere in particular. this doesn't sound that fantastic to me, honestly, but my hope is that mr. alcorn will show me some scripture and give me a little more to work with.

i do think that heaven will be full of things our minds literally can't comprehend or even come up with right now. life is full of small traces of eternity, found in everything from plants and colors and science to relationships and emotions and music. perhaps the reason for this is so we will be able to understand more when we get to heaven -- so we will have a reference point for all those brand-new concepts i think we'll be learning. that is only a guess and a pretty fanciful one at that.

heaven is, of course, a great mystery. "no eye has seen, no mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love him." BUT on the back of mr. alcorn's tape box it says: the next time you hear someone say "we can't begin to imagine what heaven will be like," you'll be able to tell them, "yes we can." i don't know about that, but i'm anxious to find out what he means. thanks for reading (once again this is far longer than i intended); any thoughts are welcome.