Burnt Cookies and Hope Part 2

If you missed part 1, please get caught up here.

C.S. Lewis wrote, “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”

Made for another world indeed. We were handcrafted by God himself not for this life but for the coming Life in heaven. And this is the only Life we can put our hope in.  We will lose heart and give up if we don’t. Negativity and sorrow will overwhelmingly crush our souls if we do not hope in the Life to come.  The biggest question is, what will this Life in heaven be like?

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9) Paul is simply saying to us that the end of our personal journeys will be incredible, and beyond our wildest dreams come true. As Eldredge dares us, “we cannot out dream God.”

Heaven is Life, and Life in abundance. It is not just a quantity of Life, but a certain glorious quality of Life. Our diseases will be healed, our sin erased, death will be no more. All of our tears will be wiped away, and there will be no pain. We will experience uninterrupted communion with Jesus. Our wildest dreams will come true. All of the longings and desires of our hearts will be fulfilled. We will be reunited with our family and closest friends. 

John Eldredge notes the comedy of the old saying, “He’s just not himself today.” He points out that the phrase is ironic because it’s true. No one is really quite themselves today. There is more to us than we have seen. Our true selves, our true creation will at times unexpectedly be revealed. 

“Life for the most parts keeps our glory hidden, cloaked by sin, sorrow, or merely weariness. When I see an older woman doubled over with arthritis, the hard years etched into her face, I want to cry, Eve what happened? How truly wonderful it will be to see her in her youth again, the full flower of her beauty restored.” (The Journey of Desire) 

We will finally, be the marvelous men and women God designed us to be. The full flower of our beauty and the full weight of our glory will be restored, and never again taken from us. Our youthful strength will not slip from us. Our greatest moments of joy and life on this side of eternity are only tiny glimpses of what we will experience when we finally go Home. Our experiences of love and intimacy in this life are only small sips of the Living Water from which we shall drink deeply in heaven.  Let hope begin to arise within you for this coming Life.

So now I find myself trying to out dream God in regards to heaven. I know that Jesus himself is in heaven now, preparing my place, my paradise in heaven. (John 14:2) He is doing the same or you, even as you read this post. Jesus knows us intimately, knows our every quirk and rhythm of our heart, knows us even better than we know ourselves. He knows our every dream and desire and thus he knows what we want concerning our place in heaven. Imagine the things he has up his sleeve! When I think about my place in heaven, I can see Jesus. He is rugged and strong, and more importantly, he is ecstatic to welcome me home. He has prepared a homecoming banquet and all of my family and friends are there. Grandpa Bob has teeth now, and he is young and mighty once again. My grandpa Schottel is not depressed but rather, very free and young as well. My parents are truly alive and joyous. Sadie (whenever it is she arrives Home) is whooping her contagious and life giving laugh hysterically. She too is young and beautiful completely restored in body spirit and soul. My best friends and I share a victory beer with Jesus (Imagine the stuff that guy can brew) as we recount the joyous times and triumphs we have shared. Jesus reveals his perfect work and plan throughout our first lives. He shows us just how very close he was to us, and we finally experience the full weight of his love. I have a house handcrafted by Jesus himself (the guy was a carpenter after all. What do you think he’s doing in heaven? Sitting in eternal glory with his nose held so high he can’t hear your prayers no less answer them? Doesn't sound much like the Jesus I read about when I open the gospels.) And the house is magnificent. It sits on a large piece of beautiful countryside. There are streams and ponds littering the property. I go fishing with Jesus. We bow hunt together. I play a little football with my best friends and family. Jesus joins the festivities as well. And obviously, Samantha is there. She is radiant and shining, smiling with her own full glory for the first time. She and I are excited because we finally get to truly live, happily ever after. Death and sin can no longer rob us of our love. Oh and I almost forgot. My knees are completely restored as is the rest of my body. No more patella tendinitis.  No more of me doing high knees/butt kicks and calling it running. I am, for the first time, truly running. In my place, I am running wild, young, and free.

As Lecrae so cleverly said:  My hope is not a verb, My hope is found in a noun. 

What is your place like? What are you putting your hope in?