I sat in the shallows of the lake, the sun-warmed water ebbing and flowing around me, the gentle sun itself smiling down on me. There weren’t very many people at the lake yet that morning besides my husband, my three children, and me. Ellie, my oldest at four years old, played on a green, ring-shaped float while Daddy supervised. Kenny and Lindsey, two-and-a-half and one, alternately sat in my lap and played in the crystal-clear water, scooping up the small pebbles on the bottom or trying to catch the fish they could easily see.
I had tried to take Lindsey out further into the water, holding her securely in my arms, so that I could enjoy the deeper water myself. She didn’t like it and started fussing. Kenny didn’t want to go deeper, either. So the three of us stayed in the shallows, enjoying the beautiful lake—something there aren’t many of near where we live.
I was content…mostly. As I gazed across the lake to the opposite shore, where the hills rose a hundred feet above the shoreline, I felt at peace. It was quiet. It was peaceful, with few other people around. It was beautiful. I had my dearest loved ones with me, including the baby in my womb. Yet I wished that I could strike out into deeper water on my own. I wanted to float in the water that couldn’t have been a more perfect temperature, maybe swim a little, or just walk a little, feeling the water move past me as I displaced it. I wanted to be out there by myself, no one around me, no demands upon me, and utterly at peace. I was blessedly happy where I was, in those perfect moments that don’t happen every day…yet I longed for something more.
I believe that this is how God wants us to long for heaven. He’s given us a beautiful world to enjoy. He’s given us relationships. He’s given us moments that are so perfect they almost hurt, because we know they’re fleeting, and no matter how hard we try to hold on, they will suddenly slip through our grasp and be gone. He’s given us so many blessings and so many foretastes of perfection and of the divine that we can—and should—be content here. But He knows He has something more in store for us, and He wants us to long for it, knowing that its wonder and beauty will surpass even the most perfect moment on earth.
In heaven, we will worship God face to face. Stop and think about that for a minute. Can you even imagine it? What will it be like to see the face of the One Who made everything that exists, including you? What will it be like to be fully in his presence, undeterred by sin?
In heaven, there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. Wow. How many times today did one of these things intersect your life? How many times did a child cry? How many times was someone sad? How many times was someone hurt, physically or emotionally? Perhaps someone you love even died today. But in heaven, no more. In heaven, none of these things ever takes place.
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow, that this life is not all there is. Yes, we should enjoy it. Yes, we should be grateful for the gifts God has given us in part to make our time here more bearable. But no matter how wonderful your life is, I guarantee that heaven surpasses it by a wider margin than you can possibly imagine.
We who are Christians have this hope (expectation) of heaven to help us through our time here on earth. When things are difficult here, we can remember that this is not all there is. When we struggle to pray or connect with God, spirit to spirit, we can remember that one day, we will see him face to face and know him fully, even as we are fully known. But in order to enjoy the anticipation of heaven, we must make sure we aren’t too focused on the temporary pleasures of earth.
If you’re like me, it’s easy to get caught up in the myriad details of earth that demand your attention. And it’s true that we have to pay attention to many of these things in order to fulfill the earthly responsibilities God has given us. But it’s vital to make time for spiritual things, too.
I believe that we should make it a point to regularly consider heaven. Wouldn’t it make a difference in the midst of trials if you stopped and remembered that these trials are not all there is and that heaven awaits you? Wouldn’t it give you perspective in life? And most of all, wouldn’t it result in your giving praise and glory to God for His amazing, overflowing generosity in allowing us to join Him in heaven at all and for preparing such a wonderful place for us?
You see, that longing we all have for things to be better—spiritually, physically, emotionally—will be completely fulfilled one day. So the next time you find yourself wishing things were different, remind yourself that one day, they will be—and they’ll be better than you can possibly imagine.
Revelation 21:3-4—God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eye. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.