22 March 2005
Heaven
I was standing outside a moment ago talking to a good friend about Heaven. When was the last time I did that? When was the last time I honestly thought about what it is going to be like? When was the last time you did? I'm not talking about the last time you sat and recited the common, "No more tears, no more pain, no more..." blah, blah, blah. Sure, those things are true, but when was the last time you actually thought about Heaven? What is it going to be like? Are we even really looking forward to it, brothers and sisters (if you are one)? When was the last time you daydreamed about being there, worshiping, becoming one with Christ? Seriously, everyone, what do you think about heaven?
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9 comments:
Lynn,
Maybe I'm selfish, but the thing that excites me the most about heaven is that in heaven I will for the first time truly own my humanity. I will be as God created me to be, with zero infirmities or anything else interferring with my relationship with God. It's exciting to think that in owning my humanity I will have constant undisturbed unity with God, along with my Christian brothers and sisters.
the latest thoughts i had on the heavenly topic had to do primarily around a discussion of whether or not we will have our memories from earth.
some say we will forget - otherwise how would we deal with cases of multiple spouses, or loved ones not with us. isn't heaven supposed to be a place where sorrow is no more?
personally, i think we will retain our memories. otherwise what point is there in all of this. i just think that all the memories will lose their importance in light of the new truths we learn in the presence of God.
ultimately though, it's all just speculation because i don't care enough to study into it. not about heaven, but about whether we will remember or not. later.
I wonder if we don't talk that much about heaven because we feel guilty about it. I know that sounds weird, but I don't want to boast about how great MY life will be when I get to heaven when I am so focused on trying to get my family and friends there. But I think that we shouldn't ignore it either. Just a thought...
Interesting stuff brando. I must think more. What if it is no new pain or hurt and God heals the old pain but not the memory. I love that image of God wiping away every tear. That seems to imply comforting us not brainwashing us. The other thought is that if Jesus, even in His glorified body still had scars what makes us think that our glorified emotions will not bear the marks of sin. Scars but not wounds – the evidence of suffering but no lingering pain. I want to remember pain when I am in heaven – it will make not having it all the more sweet, the contrast is part of the beauty. And most of all I want to remember salvation, I want to remember how screwed up I was and that Jesus still loved me. I want the memories, just not the pain, I don’t want the wounds but I do want the scars.
I agree with Brandon that we'll retain our memories.
One question I've had quite a few younger people ask about heaven is...'won't heaven be incredibly boring?'
It's not a question I really ask myself...I am satisfied that heaven will not get boring, but I think it'll be a common question in our generation b/c people depend on instant entertainment and have an attention span of 8 minutes tops
I don't think heaven will be boreing. I think of times i've been in services or just praying or worshipping and then realized I had to be somewhere or do something else. It was awful having to leave God's presence. I think heaven will be wonderful worship in the presence of God, the kind of worship you never want to end
Lynn and all,
I am looking forward to heaven a lot. I had a conversation with Josh McCracken and some other guys a while back, and we were also reflecting on two books by John Eldredge, "Epic" and "Wild at Heart." I think it was also some things that Eldredge said that spurred our thoughts and got us thinking too. But I'm not totally sure.
Why won't heaven be a place very similar to earth? In Revelation the Apostle John sees a vision of a New Jerusalem descending from the sky. There will be a new heaven and a new earth too. So why won't it be a new earth, just glorified and full like it was meant to be? Maybe we'll be doing 'normal', everyday things, yet in doing them we bring glory to God and worship Him by fully functioning and operating as He intended us to be? I don't know. It's just some thoughts I have. I don't think we can actually arrive at something that will completely define heaven and describe it anyway. I'd just like to summarize it by saying that it's life to the fullest by living completely, unhindered for God. It's going to be great!!
I tend to agree that where we spend eternity will be more like Eden and less like where the carebears live.
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