I sometimes think Heaven will be like the beach trip without the endless packing, the gallons of sunscreen that must be applied to wiggling sandy bodies, sandy food, the whining at the end of the day, the endless unpacking, and the fine layer of sand that will coat every surface of your car and house (which is 70 miles from the beach, mind you) for the next 3-4 weeks!
I do get a glimpse of Heaven when I go to the beach with my family, though. There is that moment when I am sitting in the lounge chair, basking in the warmth of the sun, listening to the ocean waves, and watching my children laughing and playing in the surf with my husband. It is so good, joyous, blessed, and makes all the day’s work worthwhile.
But it is just a moment and then gone, because someone will need to go potty and insist he or she cannot go in the water, or a bigger someone will suggest that I watch the toddler so he can take the older kids farther out. Toddler will be covered in wet sand and want to sit on my lap, for 30 seconds, then he will want to rummage through the cooler, spreading sand to the last remaining sand-free zone in my current world. Toddler will eat sand by the handfuls before loudly deciding that it is not good. I will take tons of pictures (being careful not to get sand on the camera) of sand-covered toddler to properly record the milestone. Toddler will wipe sand in his eyes and again protest loudly. People nearby will begin frowning in my direction.
I will quiet said toddler only to realize his swim diaper is poopy and if you have never changed a poopy swim diaper, well then we just are light-years apart in this life journey, but if you have, you know – MUCH worse than a dirty regular diaper!
But someday it will all be perfect, better than we can even imagine!
"Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him." 1 Cor 2:9
"there shall no longer be any morning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." Rev. 21:4
What do you think Heaven will be like?
I can SO relate to this...those little moments are like epiphanies. I have them every now and then. And they are ever-so-brief! But just enough to let you know you're on the right track, I think.
ReplyDeleteAnd the poopy swim diaper, yeah, I've been there. Awful. Dreadful. Vile.
For me, I think Heaven is in a meadow, with a picnic blanket. The children are running and laughing and picking posies, and there are millions of butterflies floating around. And the sun is warm and shining in their hair, and there is a gentle breeze. You can hear the songbirds. And our Coco, that we lost a few years ago, rests his healed body next to me. And I stroke his soft fur, and watch my children and their Daddy enjoy the beauty that surrounds them.
That would be Heaven for me...