A smaller bit more still of a little thought
i'm just off of work for the morning, but i had a wee thought occur to me and think i'll write it down. Maybe you'll just squint blankly in my direction and flare open one nostril, maybe expose a few of the top teeth on that side of your face in that special sort of hemi-snarl that somehow expresses abject disbelief or confusion; only, i think it's my spiritual gift to convey the brutally obvious. In my defense, i do make efforts to convey it artistically enough that whoever has the patience and long-suffering (i gather those two items are not the same thing) to follow me through yet another tautology comes out with the feeling, not that they've just cut a neat circle, but that they've for no discernible reason been induced to trace a much more idiotic polygram to come out exactly where they started. At any rate, you be the judge. Here's the thought:
i was listening to a country music station on the radio, and a song came on in which was the following line. (i think the song's called "When i get where I'm going".)
When i get where I'm going
And i see my Maker's face
I'll stand forever in the light of
His amazing grace
Now, this evoked the kind of image of Heaven that i've had for a long time; namely, that-- whatever other "sights" or "feelings" there are-- it'll be some variant of being in the Me-burning Radiance of God. Only the rest of the song is about flying, riding raindrops, stroking a lion's mane, etc.: earth as usual, but with People, Unlimited. The strange thing is that it's sequential. I.e., sometimes you're standing before God, but sometimes you're doing other things. Sometimes you're modifying your perspective into unusual shapes. Sometimes you're expanding; sometimes you're just expansive. Sometimes you're having a spontaneous picnic with your billion closest friends. But then sometimes you come again to stand (or, as the case may be, come to be aware of standing) before God and you worship. That's not to say that we couldn't be perfectly worshipful whilst doing other things; only there's a kind of Break involved, and i wonder if it makes any sense.
This is where i get stuck in a trap. i want to know what Heaven is like-- at least enough so that i can properly hope in it-- and yet i do know (inasmuch as i know anything at all) that, whatever Heaven might be, it'll be different enough from this place that i couldn't really wrap my little cogitator around it anyway-- even if it were given its very own 2,000 page thin-leafed fully-canonized and Widely-Accepted Book, indexed and concorded for easier reference. And i do know that, if only in virtue of the fact that i've never died and then been raised to life again; i've never awakened to find everything, everything changed for the better, but with the mind-crushing understanding that i had nothing whatever to do with it. It's just terribly odd to me that said Break is so (how do i say it?) acceptable. It's as though we're happy with the thought that we don't have to be among the 144,000, "'Cuz, Man!, would that get old after a few bazillion years!" Or maybe it's that we really, really, really would like the chance to get to do this life over again, only maybe a bit better equipped. (That, i can most assuredly understand.) That is what, as i gather it, Hindus and Buddhists hope for. Or maybe the common idea is of a sort of retrogression to the garden of Eden where we'll be we sans the the genetic wrenching bequeathed us by the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. [Could probably fit a few more "of"s in that sentence, but i'm afraid it'd start to lose its meaning.] It seems like they were fairly happy there, and yet God walked among them sometimes.
But maybe (here's where i come back 'round to the opening foreshadowing) we could somehow be a bit like we are now, only perfected and with the constant awareness of the presence of God-- that Adam and Eve obviously lacked. Maybe that's what Christendom hopes for. It's only taken me 30 years to give 'em credit for it, but it sounds good to me. And my confidence in the sanity of the Worldwide Union of Believers has increased sharply.
i was listening to a country music station on the radio, and a song came on in which was the following line. (i think the song's called "When i get where I'm going".)
When i get where I'm going
And i see my Maker's face
I'll stand forever in the light of
His amazing grace
Now, this evoked the kind of image of Heaven that i've had for a long time; namely, that-- whatever other "sights" or "feelings" there are-- it'll be some variant of being in the Me-burning Radiance of God. Only the rest of the song is about flying, riding raindrops, stroking a lion's mane, etc.: earth as usual, but with People, Unlimited. The strange thing is that it's sequential. I.e., sometimes you're standing before God, but sometimes you're doing other things. Sometimes you're modifying your perspective into unusual shapes. Sometimes you're expanding; sometimes you're just expansive. Sometimes you're having a spontaneous picnic with your billion closest friends. But then sometimes you come again to stand (or, as the case may be, come to be aware of standing) before God and you worship. That's not to say that we couldn't be perfectly worshipful whilst doing other things; only there's a kind of Break involved, and i wonder if it makes any sense.
This is where i get stuck in a trap. i want to know what Heaven is like-- at least enough so that i can properly hope in it-- and yet i do know (inasmuch as i know anything at all) that, whatever Heaven might be, it'll be different enough from this place that i couldn't really wrap my little cogitator around it anyway-- even if it were given its very own 2,000 page thin-leafed fully-canonized and Widely-Accepted Book, indexed and concorded for easier reference. And i do know that, if only in virtue of the fact that i've never died and then been raised to life again; i've never awakened to find everything, everything changed for the better, but with the mind-crushing understanding that i had nothing whatever to do with it. It's just terribly odd to me that said Break is so (how do i say it?) acceptable. It's as though we're happy with the thought that we don't have to be among the 144,000, "'Cuz, Man!, would that get old after a few bazillion years!" Or maybe it's that we really, really, really would like the chance to get to do this life over again, only maybe a bit better equipped. (That, i can most assuredly understand.) That is what, as i gather it, Hindus and Buddhists hope for. Or maybe the common idea is of a sort of retrogression to the garden of Eden where we'll be we sans the the genetic wrenching bequeathed us by the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. [Could probably fit a few more "of"s in that sentence, but i'm afraid it'd start to lose its meaning.] It seems like they were fairly happy there, and yet God walked among them sometimes.
But maybe (here's where i come back 'round to the opening foreshadowing) we could somehow be a bit like we are now, only perfected and with the constant awareness of the presence of God-- that Adam and Eve obviously lacked. Maybe that's what Christendom hopes for. It's only taken me 30 years to give 'em credit for it, but it sounds good to me. And my confidence in the sanity of the Worldwide Union of Believers has increased sharply.
posted by c at 5:11 AM
3 Comments:
What I have always thought about heaven seems very simple to me compared to what I've been reading from all of you. I just simply thought we would leave this earth and be with God. What that means I guess I don't quite know. I never thought of it being another earth, mainly because I don't want to live a human life again. I don't want to come back changed; I want to be gone forever with God. I don't want a house, clothes, food, or anything material. I want to be rid of all the worry, competition, self-fulfillment, etc. I don't mind not having a body anymore, because, frankly, I don't like my current one and I don't want to keep coming back in a new one. When I die, I want to leave all that hinders and consumes from this world and be with my Father. I like the thought of always getting to worship Him and being surrounded by His glory where there will be no worry, tears, pain, what meal to fix next, being out of toilet paper, etc. Who knows? Maybe it will all be in the form of a new earth with our earthly bodies. That just doesn't sound like heaven to me. I know to some just worshipping God for eternity doesn't sound very enticing. They still want something, like their hobbies, to do "up there." All this discussions leads me to want to study more. But, sometimes I wonder if that is necessary. I'm not a very annilitical person. I feel that things can be discussed and researched until we are blue in the face and still have no answer. But, again, heaven is a very good, encouraging topic to discuss. It has opened my mind to think outside the box, something, as Cody could tell you, is very difficult to get out of me. This has made me very curious as to why you guys think what you do. I would appreciate it if you would provide some scriptures or "other sources?" that could be helpful. A lot of the comments about a new earth and us being ourselves in new bodies boggles my mind. I have always thought of that kind of stuff as being Mormon, Jahova's Witness, Buhdist, etc. To me, just being in the continuous presence of God is enough. I guess when it all comes down to the end, we will finally have our answers. Love and peace to all of you, Steph
I think you're right, Steph! Just the thought of being rid of all our hindrances and "being" in His presence together is wonderful. All the details of it don't perplex me, it's just kind of fun to talk about.
All this discussions leads me to want to study more. But, sometimes I wonder if that is necessary.
Study the topic if you'd like, but I think it's also okay to think that it's not really necessary. Desiring to be consumed with His presence-- here and in the life to come-- is what matters most, and it sounds like you have that in you.
In all this "Heavenly" conversation, I don't believe anyone has mentioned the honorable Keith Green's theology of heaven.
Keith Green elegantly pointed out that Jesus was "going to prepare a place" and he has been gone for 2,000 years. Now if God created this universe in 6 days, it must be a "garbage heap" compared to heaven. He's been working on it 2000 years!
I agree in principal. However, he could've whipped it out 6 days too and has just been waiting in His patience.
But Keith's idea is great. Heaven is a reward. It is going to better than we could ever imagine.
Post a Comment
<< Home