Lately I've been reading a few contemporary Christian authors who, as part of their re-understanding of the Bible, call into question our basic understanding of heaven and what the Bible actually promises about heaven. I will admit that, while I'd like to ignore all this "new" info and cling to my childhood understanding of paradise, the Bible is rather unclear about what is figurative and what is literal. When it comes down to it, I don't know what to expect. And I hate that. I hate not having this expectation of heaven and my gorgeous house made out of water, my pet grizzly bear and lots of time with loved ones who have passed away. Hate hate hate.
There is some parts about heaven that are not murky, however. The Bible is very clear about 2 things: There is an eternal life and it is about God. The question is, do I trust God enough to be ok not knowing the rest? When I'm frustrated or sad and angry with how things are on earth, do I look forward to things changing in heaven or do I look forward to being with God in heaven? I am realizing that my fixation on a beautiful life in heaven is a form of idolatry. If looking forward to heaven is about who and what will be there more than the fact that I get to spend eternity with God, then I have put heaven in place of God.
I now believe God has put these uncomfortable questions in my mind so that I can realize how mixed up my priorities are. The absolute essence of heaven is spending eternity with God. That is what should matter the most to me. And I need to be shaken up in my understanding of heaven so that I can see that I have been worshipping an image instead of the true God.
My Journey
- Jana Lee
- I am a Jesus-follower, a minister, and a mom. I'm trying to be good at a lot of things and often this exhausts me. I love my kids, my husband, my church and my life. I want to share my journey with others, so this is my blog.
Have had some of these thoughts too. Thanks for saying them so well. Hard to know what to tell your kids when they say "I don't want to leave you and go to heaven someday" and I can't tell them with certainty what it will be like...
ReplyDeleteMy mom always told me that God would have whatever I needed to be happy in heaven (specifically when I was asking about pets in heaven). A little simplistic but still applies. My hope is that e closer I grow to God the less l will consider anything else a "need" for my joy in heaven.
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