The Yellow Bench : Part Two
"In the world of Faith the heavens above the city are friendly and near:
they are the upper chamber of every house."
they are the upper chamber of every house."
-Max Picard, The Flight From God
****
"In the recreation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule gloriously, you who have followed me will also rule, starting with the twelve tribes of Isreal. And not only you, but anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields --whatever-because of me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life. This is the Great Reversal: Many of the first ending up last, and the last first.
-Matthew 19
"Take this most seriously: A yes on Earth is a yes in Heaven; A no on Earth is a no in Heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on Earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in Heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there."
-Matthew 20
"You will have complete and free access to God's Kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between Heaven and Earth, Earth and Heaven. A yes on Earth is a yes in Heaven. A no on Earth is a no in Heaven."
-Matthew 16
****
"In the recreation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule gloriously, you who have followed me will also rule, starting with the twelve tribes of Isreal. And not only you, but anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields --whatever-because of me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life. This is the Great Reversal: Many of the first ending up last, and the last first.
-Matthew 19
"Take this most seriously: A yes on Earth is a yes in Heaven; A no on Earth is a no in Heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on Earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in Heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there."
-Matthew 20
"You will have complete and free access to God's Kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between Heaven and Earth, Earth and Heaven. A yes on Earth is a yes in Heaven. A no on Earth is a no in Heaven."
-Matthew 16
***
Those brown little pigtails, and the girl who wore them stayed with me for a long time.
In fact, she never left.
In fact, she never left.
Her message to me at that moment was yet another stroke in a painting of understanding that will be left incomplete until I can finally, truly see it. Like I said in the previous post, Heaven had touched down on Earth, making it a nearly tangible reality that was part of the present. By giving us our daughter Hope, and in choosing to take her Home way before I would have desired, He gave us a perspective on Heaven that is now part of our world view. Heaven is a reality no longer relegated to the future. It is part of the present.
I used to consider life as coming to a complete halt at death. You breathe your last breath, and you're instantly transported to Heaven where all is white-washed, surreal and disconnected from the world you just left. Yes, God and the angels know who you are, but now your more of a floating blob clad in a white robe, warming up to sing forever. Heaven was always referred to in a future tense, as if the only thing it had to do with present was the ticket it provided to a comfortable destiny for after your time on Earth was over. Not until I had a more personal interest in Heaven, did it occur to me that though Heaven is not visible, it is still a reality...and there is a whole lot going on that our eyes cannot perceive just yet.
What I have come to believe is that who we are now, our personalities...our strengths...the unique beauty that only comes from heartbreak...are ALL important and useful and for a purpose that will not be discarded upon the failure of our physical body. This life, this brief spell on Earth is the SMALLEST tip of an eternal ice burg. The tip does not fall off. It is part of the whole. All the "dirt" from our experience is either polished into beauty or wiped away when we enter into our perfect and true Home. Our reality is connected to Heaven more than we can know, and our Heavenly Father desires that we let Him love us, guide us and mold us into the person He needs us to be for the unique mission He has for each one of us. That 'mission' does not die with our bodies. It is never ceases to exist. My daughter never even took a breath outside of my womb, and yet she fulfilled a purpose here, and I have no doubt she is continuing to fulfill a purpose that is so gloriously suited for the personality she was given from before time began. I cannot wait to meet her (but would like to stay here for a little while longer, please!) ;)
Knowing that the ones we love are not lying dormant and cold or vaguely dangling in limbo somewhere in the clouds is of great comfort to me. If their hearts were given over to their Creator at any point, they are still who they are, without any of the weakness we knew them to struggle with. They are more radiantly alive then we are....they are probably bursting with anticipation for those they love to arrive and experience true, vibrant living!
I wish I could convey with better clarity and possess a higher succinctness in my writing. There are so many far-ranging thoughts, and I have considered that maybe I should steer away from attempting to write them out at all, as it's been years of thought formations. But then, I remembered that it is not about me or my writing style. My end goal is to illuminate and document God's love in my life. This is part of it, and it is for Him that I write out of gratitude. I am also aware that not everyone who reads my blog may agree with me. That is ok. Again, this not to make a case, or prove a point. This post is meant to bring honor to Whom I believe honor is due.
***
Our little girl Hope brought us a great deal of Hope. She changed the way we desire to live and to talk about her younger siblings regarding Heaven. Deciding to give your heart to God and then adventuring with Him involves both the reality we can see with our physical eyes and the one we have wait to see with our 'special eyes' (see beginning of previous post). Living life with the understanding that physical death is not the end, but just the beginning gives powerful and supremely hopeful vantage point. What doesn't work here (the losses, frustrations, disappointments, heartaches, despair, limitations, retractions, etc. etc.) will be forgotten someday as all that was lost is returned to us a hundred times over..in specific ways that will reconstruct our broken hearts and make things PERFECT. All this by the One who created you and knows just what you need to become truly whole. He will do this, not because He's trying to manipulate you into serving (and singing to!) Him for all of Eternity...but because He genuinely wants to see those He created fueled to the full with His Love, without any weakness, sin or heartache to stand in the way ever again.
If you have read this far, by golly, you are a kind (and perhaps bored?) reader!! :) There are three books that have widened the scope of my thinking and given me great zeal for this subject. They are:
The Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard ( a deeper read)
Heaven, Joni Earikson Tada ( a lighter read)
Heaven Is For Real, Todd Burpo (Before reading this I was skeptical. After the two hours it took me to read it, I was beaming!).
***
And now, I have to admit, being the dramatic Sanguine I am, it is occurring to me that since I wrote this post on death and Heaven, I might as well go upstairs and pick out the dress of my choice and make arrangements with my hairdresser to make sure my hair looks good for the service, since I'll probably perish tomorrow. ;)
HoWeVeR...
If I still have some time left,
look for a "WE SURVIVED WINTER 2011 GIVEAWAY"
coming soon!!!
I used to consider life as coming to a complete halt at death. You breathe your last breath, and you're instantly transported to Heaven where all is white-washed, surreal and disconnected from the world you just left. Yes, God and the angels know who you are, but now your more of a floating blob clad in a white robe, warming up to sing forever. Heaven was always referred to in a future tense, as if the only thing it had to do with present was the ticket it provided to a comfortable destiny for after your time on Earth was over. Not until I had a more personal interest in Heaven, did it occur to me that though Heaven is not visible, it is still a reality...and there is a whole lot going on that our eyes cannot perceive just yet.
What I have come to believe is that who we are now, our personalities...our strengths...the unique beauty that only comes from heartbreak...are ALL important and useful and for a purpose that will not be discarded upon the failure of our physical body. This life, this brief spell on Earth is the SMALLEST tip of an eternal ice burg. The tip does not fall off. It is part of the whole. All the "dirt" from our experience is either polished into beauty or wiped away when we enter into our perfect and true Home. Our reality is connected to Heaven more than we can know, and our Heavenly Father desires that we let Him love us, guide us and mold us into the person He needs us to be for the unique mission He has for each one of us. That 'mission' does not die with our bodies. It is never ceases to exist. My daughter never even took a breath outside of my womb, and yet she fulfilled a purpose here, and I have no doubt she is continuing to fulfill a purpose that is so gloriously suited for the personality she was given from before time began. I cannot wait to meet her (but would like to stay here for a little while longer, please!) ;)
Knowing that the ones we love are not lying dormant and cold or vaguely dangling in limbo somewhere in the clouds is of great comfort to me. If their hearts were given over to their Creator at any point, they are still who they are, without any of the weakness we knew them to struggle with. They are more radiantly alive then we are....they are probably bursting with anticipation for those they love to arrive and experience true, vibrant living!
I wish I could convey with better clarity and possess a higher succinctness in my writing. There are so many far-ranging thoughts, and I have considered that maybe I should steer away from attempting to write them out at all, as it's been years of thought formations. But then, I remembered that it is not about me or my writing style. My end goal is to illuminate and document God's love in my life. This is part of it, and it is for Him that I write out of gratitude. I am also aware that not everyone who reads my blog may agree with me. That is ok. Again, this not to make a case, or prove a point. This post is meant to bring honor to Whom I believe honor is due.
***
Our little girl Hope brought us a great deal of Hope. She changed the way we desire to live and to talk about her younger siblings regarding Heaven. Deciding to give your heart to God and then adventuring with Him involves both the reality we can see with our physical eyes and the one we have wait to see with our 'special eyes' (see beginning of previous post). Living life with the understanding that physical death is not the end, but just the beginning gives powerful and supremely hopeful vantage point. What doesn't work here (the losses, frustrations, disappointments, heartaches, despair, limitations, retractions, etc. etc.) will be forgotten someday as all that was lost is returned to us a hundred times over..in specific ways that will reconstruct our broken hearts and make things PERFECT. All this by the One who created you and knows just what you need to become truly whole. He will do this, not because He's trying to manipulate you into serving (and singing to!) Him for all of Eternity...but because He genuinely wants to see those He created fueled to the full with His Love, without any weakness, sin or heartache to stand in the way ever again.
If you have read this far, by golly, you are a kind (and perhaps bored?) reader!! :) There are three books that have widened the scope of my thinking and given me great zeal for this subject. They are:
The Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard ( a deeper read)
Heaven, Joni Earikson Tada ( a lighter read)
Heaven Is For Real, Todd Burpo (Before reading this I was skeptical. After the two hours it took me to read it, I was beaming!).
***
And now, I have to admit, being the dramatic Sanguine I am, it is occurring to me that since I wrote this post on death and Heaven, I might as well go upstairs and pick out the dress of my choice and make arrangements with my hairdresser to make sure my hair looks good for the service, since I'll probably perish tomorrow. ;)
HoWeVeR...
If I still have some time left,
look for a "WE SURVIVED WINTER 2011 GIVEAWAY"
coming soon!!!
Comments
Quite the journey we are all on, huh? Lately I've thought much about heaven and how wonderful it will feel to rid myself of my aching and uncomfortable earthly body. I read parts of Joni Eareckson Tada's book "A Place of Healing" in which she talks about pain and suffering...a very encouraging read. Can't wait to read YOUR book someday! :-)
In the sweet by and by, we shall meet on that beautiful shore...
i love how you speak of this defining moment in your life. and, how you speak of giving honor to Whom honor is due thru this posting..i see it as just that.
in all of life, i believe that God uses many people to shape us along our way...and, i have to think that not only is God shaping you thru this experience, but He is shaping other people thru your sharing of it.
like i said before and i speak to myself nearly everyday, "we are the ones missing out on the SO MUCH MORE that our children are LIVING!"
AMEN!
HUGS!
"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there will be no more death. Neither sorrow, or crying! Neither shall there be any more pain! For the former things are all passed away. Behold! I make all things new!" What a picture of heaven~
I need to be reminded that Heaven is not just some far away thing. that now matters in eternity. I think you did a great job explaining your thoughts.