Don't get me wrong, I think heaven is really, really important. And, for the here and now, teaching others how to get to heaven is probably the most important thing I can do at the Church. I just don't spend a lot of time thinking about what heaven is really like ... streets of gold and all of that.
Part of the reason for that, I think, is that I am personally motivated by a responsibility to serve God. I am certainly cognizant of the eternal benefits of serving God, but that is just is not what motivates me day-to-day. Part of it is practical -- I just don't see a great benefit to spending time contemplating what heaven will be like. Hopefully I will have plenty of time to check it out myself later on down the road!!
Anyway, over the last couple of weeks I have given a lot more thought to what heaven is really like than I normally do. This week it has been because my Uncle Bill and my friend Tom's father both passed away.
Uncle Bill was the image of a southerner -- right out of central casting. He was truly larger than life. He was loud, funny and always laughing. Great to be around. Bill was a lawyer in the town where I was born -- Natchitoches, Louisiana. (Famous for meat pies, the Cane River, the Christmas festival and the movie "Steel Magnolias").
Some years ago Pam and I went to meet Bill and his wife Susanne at a hotel near Dallas. We asked about Bill at the front desk and, not surprisingly, it seemed like every employee in this very large hotel knew who Bill was -- and his dog Coco too. Among other things, there apparently had been some conversation about whether Coco could accompany Bill and Susanne to the dinning room. Other guests, it seems, might have been offended by the idea of sharing the dining room with a dog. I believe Coco ended up getting room service!
Bill was loved by many. He was a good man and he will be missed. He also has quite a record of service to the U.S.A. Here is a link to Uncle Bill's obituary.
I know -- I have read a number of these stories about near death experiences and encounters with God and I often approach them with the same skepticism as many of you do. This particular story is a little different though. First, the things the little boy saw in heaven seemed to have striking biblical support. Although the boy is a pastor's son, many of the things he spoke about in simple terms were far too complex and specific for a child that age to have learned in Sunday School-- or even in a pastor's home.
Even more compelling -- without giving away all of the details -- the little boy came back with knowledge of things (particularly about his family) that he simply could not have known. One day he apparently announced to his mother in a matter of fact way that he had two sisters. When the mother corrected him that he only had one, he insisted. He said he met a little girl in heaven who looked a lot like his older sister, but with different colored hair. He said the little girl introduced herself as his sister, and told him she had died in his mother's tummy. The little girl said she did not have a name because his parents had not given her one. The mother immediately began to cry -- she had miscarried years earlier and the parents had never told the boy. The parents apparently had picked out a name for a boy, but at the time of the miscarriage were down to two choices in the event it was a girl. So, the little girl never had a name.
Thinking about what heaven is really like suddenly had a lot more practical value than I realized. Being able to speak about heaven with some specificity and being able to speak about it in clear terms can be a powerful source of comfort and encouragement for people. Pam wants to give a copy of "Heaven is for Real" to everyone who has recently lost a loved one for that reason. I highly suggest you read it ... with an open mind.
Thank you for your prayers, and God bless.
Oh, by the way, the little boy in the story met Jesus and described Him to his parents. For some time after they showed him numerous paintings and drawings of Jesus. But, he said none of them were quite right ... until he saw one painted by a little girl who is the subject of the link below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MdJovn1hP0&feature=share
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