What Heaven is Like

This proves why I will probably never write a book... I've completed about 3 days of this water thing and I've already run out of things to say. Dan had a good idea... that I should write an article for a magazine or something and see where that takes me. At least I could do that in a couple weeks instead of a few years (or decades at this rate) for a book.

I finally finished reading the book God on Mute by Pete Greig this afternoon during double nap time. It was Dan's pick of 2007. He reads a mountain of books, so I take his recommendations pretty seriously. I started reading it, oh I don't know, probably in August. Whenever it was, it was warm enough for me to take off to Starbucks and read on the patio. I'm a much slower reader than Dan is, or maybe a more careful reader. Dan reads a lot, but he reads fast, so I think he misses some stuff. He asked me a little while ago how I got through college (b/c it was taking me so long to get through the book). I was impressed with myself at how little offense I took to the question (because now I can think of all kinds of snappy remarks). It sure is a lot easier to read when it's your full time job to be a student... when you don't have kids and a household to manage. So, I'm a little embarrassed at the amount of reading I haven't done over the past few years, so I'm making more of an effort. I meant to write up some kind of measurable goal about that, but clearly defined goals are for people who have time to write them up (ha ha).

Well, after that little aside, back to what I meant to write about... what Heaven is like. Pete Greig's last chapter is about heaven. Perhaps I should provide a little bit of background about the rest of the book. Simply put, it's about unanswered prayer. He wrote a book that he wanted to read when he and his family were suffering through the initial diagnosis and episodes of his wife's epilepsy. There was no book for him at the time. Really great book: sound, gentle theology. What brings Greig to the topic of heaven in his last chapter is that in Revelation, John refers to the prayers of the saints as incense, being stored in golden bowls and their pouring out contributes to the final making-things-right in the end times. So maybe some of our prayers aren't answered because they're being stored up for creating the new earth.

At one point in the chapter, Greig talks about not being very excited to go to heaven (not that he's choosing the alternative). It's just that there is so much mystery about heaven and not so much helpful imagery for how one might spend their days. All the crown laying down and continual worship just didn't seem to excite him. I couldn't help but relating. Again, not because I'd prefer the alternative, but because I mostly just haven't thought about it enough to imagine what heaven might be like, aside from an eternal worship service.

It's the "new earth" part that gets the images going for Greig. Heaven is not some place away, some unfamiliar place, on clouds with lots of bagels and cream cheese. It's the kingdom of heaven reigning here. It's God making things the way he originally intended, without sin and the death and disease that goes with that. No pollution, no sickness, no cancer, no heart attacks, no car accidents, no animosity, no worries, no tears, no bills, no stains, no mistakes, no fights, no exhaustion, no fear, no shame. Like this, only better. Lots better.

So I thought about it a little bit.

Tonight I thought, as I was holding Simon after nursing him back to sleep, that heaven is the head of a sleepy 6-month old resting on your shoulder. And heaven is a two year old showing you how she can raise her eyebrows. And heaven is the arms of my husband. Coffee with a little bit of Baileys. What happens to the trees when the frost makes them all furry. Our wedding was a lot like heaven, so for those of you who were there, lucky you ;)

Picture taken in between our divine wedding and our heavenly reception

I thought that heaven is like my 30th birthday party. I threw a fancy dinner party for some friends... I planned for weeks, prepared the menu (I followed this one to a T), invited our guests and asked them to supply wine for each course, bought new dishes and linens, rented a round table and some chairs. The big day went smoothly (other than some dear friends not able to make it because of poor weather). The food was divine. The company was a blessing. We had fun. We had good conversation. We feasted for 4 hours. I sat next to Doug Reichel who, one bite away from finishing the last of his lamb, said to me, "Teddi, I don't want it to end."

It won't, Doug. It won't.