Some thoughts about heaven

I can remember seeing my first solar eclipse as a young boy living in central Nebraska. What an amazing phenomenon that was to behold. A solar eclipse takes place when the moon slides between the earth and the sun; the sun?s brilliance gradually fades. Its light grows dim, as if there is a thin layer of dust on everything you see. The effect of a solar eclipse is most dramatic on a bright cloudless day. While the eclipse is in full force, it is easy to forget that the sun is still there in all its force and glory.

As amazing as a solar eclipse may be, more amazing is the fact that as followers of Jesus Christ we often live with heaven eclipsed in our hearts. I do not know what you think of when you think of heaven; but count on it, heaven is a glorious destination. and as the Apostle Paul described, because of Jesus Christ?s presence, it is far better than anything we could imagine or think (Philippians1:23).

However, heaven?s glory and the excitement of getting there often fade in the light of our dim view of heaven and the lure of lesser stuff here on earth.

If the word ?heaven? evokes images of an eternity lounging on clouds, plucking out melodies on a harp, adjusting our halos, and singing in a choir, then no wonder that the brilliance of heaven may be going through an eclipse in your heart. It is hard to muster a lot of excitement or enthusiasm if we think that heaven will be boring! However, believe me, the God who died for you is not planning an eternity of boring assignments for you!

If your thoughts about what heaven may be like are not distorted, then you are not necessarily off the hook. Heaven is often eclipsed in our hearts by the lure and glitter of earth-side stuff. It is easy to think we can create heaven on earth by stacking up all that we think will make us happy and comfortable ? only to discover that the initial thrill of it all quickly wears off as we disappointingly discover that there is no such thing as heaven on earth.