Last night as I was laying in bed, trying to fall asleep, I kept thinking about how morning was going to come. I thought about it for a grand total of, like, 30 seconds because I was out like a light. It was a traumatic, frustrating day. : ) Anyway. It's a beautiful thing, isn't it? The morning. Heaven is going to be like a thousand beautiful mornings all wrapped up into one. The kind of morning where you wake up in your warm cocoon, the sun shining (or not, if you like it better that way. My friends from Vietnam like it better when it's cloudy because it rains there so much), with the promise of a new day is ahead of you.
Brooke wrote a song called the C.S. Lewis Song. Clive Staples Lewis is one of my heroes, and, last night after I had written about pain, I heard this song on Pandora:
If I find in myself desires nothing in this world can satisfy,
I can only conclude that I was not made for here.
If the flesh that I fight is at best only light and momentary,
then of course I'll feel nude when to where I'm destined I'm compared
Speak to me in the light of the dawn
Mercy comes with the morning
I will sigh and with all creation groan as I wait for hope to come for me
Am I lost or just less found?
On the straight or on the roundabout of the wrong way?
Is this a soul that stirs in me, is it breaking free, wanting to come alive?
'Cos my comfort would prefer for me to be numb
And avoid the impending birth of who I was born to become
For we, we are not long here
Our time is but a breath, so we better breathe it
And I, I was made to live, I was to love, I was made to know you
Hope is coming for me
Hope, He's coming
If you have time, you can listen to it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHpuTGGRCbY
I always love it when themes from my week seem to align like the stars. When I find myself in that holy place, and God clearly speaks to me. If you've never experienced this, I pray that one day you do. I'm not a crazy person, I promise. I pray that one day you will just know that God is talking to you through a song, or through the sermon, or through a dancing little girl twirling freely in the lobby, full of joy...completely unashamed. When the stars align and you know that God sees you. And is crazy about you.
That happened to me this morning as I was listening to the sermon; the themes of my week collided. The pastor was talking about how Christ-followers are aliens in this world. Christians are weird, aren't they? I mean, my eyes get huge sometimes. Especially when I'm excited. And, I've always sort of clapped a little off beat, but there's nothing like hearing it from the leader of a church. "You're an alien." What he was really talking about is that nothing in this world can satisfy me like Jesus. Pain is real, life can be long & hard, frustrating even, but there is so much hope found in heaven. It is there that I need to focus on.
God actually talks about this in Scripture. He talks about how people who commit to following Jesus don't belong to the world. It's temporary; our home is in heaven. This is where the C.S. Lewis Song comes in: "We are not long here, our time is but a breath." Make it count.
I used to be really afraid to think about heaven because I have this tendency to be really skeptical and doubtful. And just, well, afraid. I saw this picture a couple of days ago, and I could not stop laughing. It's Jesus riding on a long-neck. Holding an alligator. : ) This picture is making fun of me. Here's why: Well, first of all. I believe in Creationism, and that's pretty much a punch to my world's science-minded gut right there. To be quite honest, I'm still figuring out what exactly I believe. But I can't tell you how much I love science. But then, I was talking about how I wanted to ride on dinosaurs in heaven in my small group. Two hours later I saw this on Facebook. Now I know I sound like a crazy person, but my logic is this: if God created dinosaurs in the beginning of time, then they were in the garden. You with me? And if dinosaurs were in the garden, they would have let people ride on them. If they were in the garden, why wouldn't they be in heaven? And why wouldn't they let people ride them there too? It is possible that I'm a little too big for my britches. I have to admit, if I do actually stand before a Brontosaurus, I'm gonna pee my pants before I do anything else.It's hard not to wonder. And, I mean, it's really laughable for some people. If you've ever seen The Invention of Lying, you get a clearer idea of how some perceive heaven. An invention for hope for those close to death, a carrot to dangle in front of a face or two, a threat from religious leaders (if not heaven, then hell, right?) I have caught myself thinking, "Does it really exist, God? Really?" I mean, what if it really was a figment of an imagination? Is it literal or figurative? And will it hurt my mom's feelings? Like, that our home isn't really home? And then, to get there you have to die. In the words of Scooby-Doo...Ruh-roh.
But here's the deal: God only speaks the truth. I don't think he would lie to us about heaven. Scripture is truth because it is the very breath of God. Heaven transcends time. It transcends logic. But, it is a reality. All joking aside, (there may not be dinos...I'll be okay if there aren't), heaven is a reality in Scripture. It isn't just some fantasy, or a figment of imagination It. Is. Home. A warm, sweet-smelling, beautiful, open-spaced home. I think about how often I think about home when I'm away from it, especially when I miss my family or I'm going through a hard time or I'm excited to celebrate someone's birthday or hear their concert. And, maybe for you, home has a negative connotation; for that, I'm sorry. Heaven is a joyful home, friends. It is on the forefront of my mind; my home. The best part for me is going to be seeing Jesus for the first time. Can you imagine? I'm running straight into his strong arms.
If I find in myself desires nothing in this world can satisfy,
I can only conclude that I was not made for here.
We are not long here.
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