It’s Not About Heaven

A little boy and his babysitter are walking along the street. Arriving at the corner, the woman begins to cross but at that moment glances behind to see the boy is not with her. She impatiently barks, “Hurry up!” but the boy pays no mind, because he is engrossed in something too wonderful for words. He has discovered that if he stands just the right way, that the little sticks he has collected along the path fall just so into the sewer grate. He can hear the water below; he can see his little sticks as they splash. Mesmerizing.

My wife once taught a delightful little 9 year old girl named Jennifer. During the parent/teacher interview, the mother complained of her daughter’s ‘dreaminess’ and how it took her forever to get home from school every day. Now, my wife knew Jennifer very well and in a flash of inspiration said, “Oh, but can’t you see? Jennifer isn’t trying to frustrate you. This is what Jennifer does on her way home from school: she gazes up in wonder at the beauty of the spring leaves. She stoops to watch the slow progress of a ladybug in the grass. For Jennifer, life is a marvel. She sees wonder and beauty all around her, and her imagination is boundless! She could very well grow up to be a great writer.”

For most of us, life is anything but marvelous and wonderful. The tedious monotony of everyday living is what most of us face day in and day out. We look forward to going to heaven just to escape from the dreary cares and worries of this life. But what is missing? The splendor and wonder and majesty of all that is glorious is hidden in the mundane realm.

What is heaven without being personally engaged with the living Prince of all that is heavenly, growing, basking, reveling in His boundless and intoxicating total love of and for me?

Rich