Tonight Jason and I got a chance to watch ”The Exorcism of Emily Rose” with some friends. It’ll get your heart beating. It’s based off a true story and it is definitely one of those movies that will get you talking. If you’re looking to get into a deep conversation about good versus evil, demons, God, heaven, hell, etc., this is your movie! One of the things we talked about afterward was heaven. What were our childhood thoughts on heaven? Had our thoughts changed now that we were all “grown-up?” Our friend said that he asked his mom when he was little if there would be a Nintendo in heaven. She assured him that there would be. He was happy to hear that in heaven he can play the Nintendo whenever he wants to. How adorable!
I have fond memories of my conversations with my mom about heaven. One of my memories involved our discussion of my juice bed. Yes, juice bed. I loved orange juice when I was little and my parents had a water bed…I think you can figure out what my dream was.
I also remember being worried as a child that I wouldn’t be able to “find” my family when I got to heaven. Where would I find them? I pictured it would be like a big fair or large grocery store. As a young child, it’s so scary to think about being lost in the midst of all of those people. My mom suggested that there might be different sections based on your interests. I would definitely find my dad in the airplane section because he loves aviation. I assured her that she could look for me in the swing set section. This was a very calming explanation for me to hear as a child. Even though I still wrestle with my different thoughts on what it will be like, I still have that childlike curiosity and excitement to get there and see for myself.
Jason shared with me earlier today something that a speaker, Lou Heckler, said at the recent NSA convention we attended. He said that the greatest part of an experience for children is usually the anticipation. Think of a child counting down the days until Christmas, his birthday, etc. I think that is very true for our human experience. I do not think that will be true for our experience in heaven. I don’t think we let ourselves truly anticipate heaven. It’s confusing for us because “no one knows for sure.” Maybe in the anticipating, we will be inspired to live the life we were meant to live, in the short time we are given.
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)
WOW, I think you’ve hit something here about not anticipating heaven enough in this life to live in the here and now. I’ve heard and try to live with an “eternal perspective”, but how much excitement does it build in my day-to-day activity? I don’t know. When I taught fifth grade at a Christian school, we were talking about heaven one day and all the kids wanted to know if they could do what they liked best, i.e. game systems, bicycle riding, etc. One girl expressly said she hoped it would be like recess, but there would never be a bell to come in to class!
I think heaven will be beyond our expectation, but I will try to live in anticipation of what awaits!