I recall a discussion a while back regarding what we will see in heaven. Some asked if their favorite things on earth would be there; their dog, their spouse, or their favorite steak dinner. Someone responded that he believed it would be so. I cannot really say as the Bible is silent on the matter, but I must respectfully disagree because I believe the view is a bit narrow – and here are my reasons:
If we are to think heaven, the place to start is in the original state our God created us; the Garden of Eden. What we see there before the fall is simply perfection in all our needs and joy fulfilled. Adam and eve were “unashamed” in everything they did and everything they did was good. I mean they walked around naked unhidden from each other – no secret was kept between them and absolute trust was given. No fear of betrayal or what would happen to tomorrow because complete trust was given to the Lord. In our world, we can only glimpse a shadow of what that is like and it varies at different levels; ideally the marriage is a shadow of what life was like in paradise because (again, ideally) the husband and wife place their complete trust in each other and nothing is hidden from their sight and they can see each other naked and be unashamed. Ideally, in a marriage there is no secrets kept from each other and the home is a place of true rest. There is a lesser picture of paradise with most trusted friends or family though it can never be equal to that of a godly marriage. Trust and support can be found there as well and true love of a friend is a divine gift. But no matter how we strive to create our marriage or friendship as God intended, there are always periods of struggle and strife. The greatest marriage counselors will admit to you that making the perfect marriage is impossible.
I read this morning about a man who had a terrible dream that his wife and children were killed. The dream was so vivid that he woke scared to death and when he looked at his wife, he was filled with unprecedented love for her and all the dearest thoughts of he simple poured out of him and he wept in thanks God she was with him. Imagine that moment, where all your most profound love for your most intimate friend was bottled up in one moment. Hold that thought and you will only taste the profound joy you will experience every moment in heaven and it will be multiplied a million times because the joy will be shared with every saint unashamedly together.
But will my favorite steak dinner be in heaven? Who cares.
March 2, 2010 at 4:26 pm
What an interesting thought. I am nearly positive that everyone had this thought every now and again. Honestly, I really don’t know what it will be like once we get to heaven. The most important thing for me is that I DO know where I am going once I die, that is heaven-bounded. I could hardly wait to see what it is like but at the same time, a bit nervous because knowing Jesus, He does hold many surprising elements. Would I be able to stand still while receiving all the beautiful sights of the heaven that He personally took the time to build while waiting for His Father to tell Him that it’s time for Him to go and get His bride, which is us? Honestly, I do not know. But this, I surely do know: His love for me (and for everyone) is so strongly sure and without conditions. That alone is a lot to take and to understand. My brain is so small and limited. Praise the Lord for His eternal grace and goodness to me (and to everyone).
Food? Why worry about food? Why limit yourself to such familiar things when you can be open to what God wants you to have? However, I can not really answer about these beloved pets…But I can tell you this that we will see each other as brothers and sisters once we arrive to Heaven.