Glimpses of Heaven

There are moments when things just seem to click. Moments that briefly take my breath away. And those times when I wish I could stay in that moment, with those people, with things just the way they are forever.

Whenever I encounter one of those moments, I stop for a second and try to take it all in. Try to realize what I'm seeing, how I'm feeling, what I'm hearing. That's the only way I can hold onto the moments. Otherwise, they're gone and any attempt to recreate them results in disappointment.

I found myself wondering why God doesn't just let life be like that all the time. Why so many long-term struggles in life with only brief, fleeting moments of what feels like perfection?

Then it occurred to me. Those moments are glimpses of heaven.

Moments when God personally reaches down and touches my life, my situation. Where He reads my mind and it's like an inside joke between me and God. I know He's there and He knows I'm looking for Him.

So why don't those moments happen all the time? God's always there, so why don't I always feel like He is?

Sin.

Sin separates me from being able to fully be with God.

The good news is, I'm saved. I'm in the process of being made into the person I need to be in order to spend eternity with God. Someday, when I finally reach heaven, those moments won't end. They will last forever.

I used to think of heaven as a super dull, boring place to go. I love variety and fun and people and nature and everything. I used to think heaven was just a big empty space where we all stand around, just happy to be there.

But several years back, this thought rocked my world. Every good and perfect gift comes from God. That means everything I enjoy, everything good, is something God made for me to enjoy. How amazing is that?!? Everything, everyone, every good situation, meal, outfit, hair day, smell, taste, sight and sound that I have ever experienced or ever will enjoy comes from God.

That means every morning when the sun comes into the bedroom at just the right angle to cast shadows on the wall, it's God.

When I'm missing a friend and an opportunity comes up to talk with them, it's God.

When we have just enough money to cover the bills or pay for repairs or provide a gift for someone, it's God.

When I get encouragement or love from someone else when I'm down, it's like a hug from God.

On the flip side, we're told that apart from God, there is nothing good. That means, there will come a day when good will no longer be around on earth. When Jesus comes back, God will take those who belong to Him to heaven and everyone else will be without God. Without good. It's a sobering thought.

But God loves us. He loves to give us good gifts. The best gift He ever gave us was Jesus. Why? Because Jesus saves us. He came down into our messy, not-so-great-sometimes world and offered us hope.

See, even though we're covered in sin and separated from God, once we believe the fact that we're not good enough for God AND the fact that Jesus is but He died anyway and rose again and is in heaven right now interceding with God on our behalf, taking away our punishment, we're saved. We're set apart. We will never experience an absence of good. We will always be with God.

But that's not the end of the story. While I'm still here on earth, it's not enough for me to just say I believe in God and the fact that Jesus died and rose and then continue to live my life the way I want to. Or to make decisions that make me happy or comfortable. God doesn't just want me to know about and believe Jesus existed. He wants to make me like Jesus.

That means I need to be in a constant state of learning how God wants me to live. How He wants me to treat people. How to please Him. How to obey. That's not easy, but it's good. Why? Because God is good. The way He wants me to live is the best possible way to live.

How do I find out how God wants me to live? Through the Bible. I have to read it and study it and figure out what it means. I have to wrestle with it when I don't understand it. I have to pray for His Holy Spirit to give me wisdom and insight. And He will.

That's the beauty of it. God wants to help me be who He wants me to be. And He wants to help you be who He wants you to be.

So where do you stand with God right now? Do you think there is no God and we've been left here to fend for ourselves? Do you believe there's a God but you don't know Him personally? Do you believe Jesus died and rose but it's not really impacting your daily life that much?

If you've never thought about things like this, I'd encourage you to start asking yourself some questions and start talking to God through prayer. Grab hold of a Bible and start reading. You could start by going through the Gospel of John or 1 & 2 Thessalonians. Find a Bible-believing church and start going.

Most importantly though, don't waste time. Jesus is coming back and we don't know when. We also don't know when our individual time here on earth will be up. Get to know God by confessing your sin, receiving forgiveness and trusting in Jesus today.

Then join me on this journey of becoming who God wants us to be.

If the small glimpses of heaven I see around me every day are even a hint of what heaven is really like, it's somewhere I wanna be. And I want you to be there with me.