Eternity

Have you ever had one of those “glimpse of heaven” moments? The trigger may have been something as simple as clouds parting to reveal a patch of clear blue sky, or light streaming through an open window, and for a split second, you’ve ached for heaven.

Those moments can be brief and unexpected, and characterized by something close to pure joy, and then maybe there’s a small catch in your throat, and you’re left with an ache for more. I think that’s what C.S. Lewis was referring to when he said, "Our best havings are wantings".

The Bible gives us glimpses of eternity in word pictures, using things we already know and love, to give us a glimpse of the unknown. Let’s consider a few of them:

BROAD VISTAS

Your eyes will see the King in His beauty, and view a land that stretches afar.

Isaiah 33:17

WATER

...the Lord will rule there as our mighty King.

Rivers and wide streams will flow through it...

Isaiah 33:21

 
"I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the End.
To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the springs of the water of life."

Revelation 21:6

LIGHT

There will be no more night.

They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, 

for the Lord God will give them light.

Revelation 22:5

TREES

On each side of the river stood the tree of life,

bearing twelve crops of fruit, 

yielding its fruit every month.

And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

Revelation 22:2

PEACE

"The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent's food.
They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain," says the Lord.

Isaiah 65:25

Though heaven may be mysterious, God never intended the way to heaven to be a mystery. On one of Jesus' last days on earth, He had a conversation with His disciples about heaven, and Thomas voiced what a lot of people wonder about:

"Lord, we don't know where You are going, so how can we know the way?"

Jesus answered:
"I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me."

John 14:5, 6

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God,
so that you may know that you have eternal life.

1 John 5:13

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened

and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

Then will the lame leap like a deer,

and the mute tongue shout for joy.

Water will gush forth in the wilderness

and streams in the desert.

Isaiah 35:5, 6

Linking with Still Saturday
Little Things Thursday
and Skywatch Friday

I Love Sunflowers

It's sunflower season, and I love sunflowers.

I love the magic encased in their spiky packages,

and how their petals unfurl...

and turn toward the sun, catching its fire.

I love the way the little stars of pollen appear and multiply...

sprinkling out stardust like parmesan cheese on a pizza.

I love the way they adorn an evening table...

the gentle curve of their leaves...

the graceful arch of their stems and the stiff white hairs that cover them.

I love sunflowers, but more than that, so much more,

I love the One who made them,

who also made the stars,

who gave His life so we could live.

Linking with Weekly Top Shot,

Little Things Thursday

and Friday Photo Journal

First published on 9/12/11

Morning Praise

On this bright new morning, a robin greets the sun from her favorite fencepost.

Two bucks, most likely two year old twins...

now spar, preparing to be rivals. 

A juvenile purple finch perches on the supplejack,

and a tufted titmouse is silhouetted against an orange sky.

They all give praise to their Maker, doing what He created them to do.

Years ago, we used to sing a children's song in church, 

one that I believe holds true for God's children of any age:

The birds upon the treetops sing their song;

The angels chant their chorus all day long;

The flowers in the garden blend their hue,

So why shouldn't I, why shouldn't you praise Him, too?

If you'd like to see a very cute video of a little girl singing this,

click here.

Linking with Little Things Thursday,

 Good Fences 

and

Wild Bird Wednesday

Promise

Outside yesterday, after a stretch of ice and bitter cold, a little green caught my eye.  

I moved some dead leaves, and there, sure enough, 

a few snowdrops were pushing out of the soil.

It reminded me that even in the deepest cold, spring is getting ready.

There's an ancient promise God made to Noah:

As long as the earth endures,

seedtime and harvest,

cold and heat,

summer and winter,

day and night will never cease.

Genesis 8:22

The bluebirds seem to know this.  

They were in the birdbath, lifting their heads in praise with every swallow.

Linking with Wild Bird Wednesday
Little Things Thursday

Sparkles

Christmas seems to be the season of sparkles.  Years ago, when I worked at Hallmark Cards, artists would groan when an assignment came to design a card with glitter, which appeared to be, at that time, so uncool.  It's quite in vogue this year, however, and is applied generously to a wide variety of cards.  Now we find glitter everywhere, as it spreads from the cards to the table and to our hands, our clothes, to Barley's hair, and beyond.  

Don and Tava and I sat at the kitchen table the other night, and while Don engrossed us with stories from his year in Vietnam, glitter sparkled on his face.

I love those sparkles that come on the inside, too, that sparkly feeling that washes over you, sometimes when you least expect it, that says, "This is Christmas!".  

This year, those sparkles started for me when I was at my desk working and listening to James Taylor at Christmas, and they came again at the Christmas eve service at our small country church. The pastor read the familiar story from the gospel of Luke about God coming to earth in the form of a baby.  In the dim candlelight, we shared communion as a reminder of why He came, to give His life so we could fully live.

In the wee hours of Christmas morning, I got up to put our traditional stew in the crock pot. Barley came padding in softly from the bedroom, so I plugged in the Christmas tree lights and petted him for a few quiet moments while we both enjoyed the sparkles. 

The music played again, this time in my heart:

What then can I give Him, empty as I am?

If I were a shepherd I would bring a lamb;

If I were a wise man, I would do my part;

What then can I give Him?  I must give my heart.

James Taylor - In the Bleak Midwinter 


Linking with Camera Critters
Saturday's Critters
Little Things Thursday

First posted 12/25/10