Last Friday, I asked the cell one simple question: What must be present in Heaven for Heaven to be Heaven for you? The answers I got was worth a listen and this sharing. Most of us want our loved ones to be in Heaven with us, especially our children. Heaven will not be Heaven without our loved ones. For me, I hope that there are enough books in Heaven to keep me busy for a whole eternity.
But as the discussion progressed, Nigel, one of the cell members, gave us an insight into Heaven that at first seemed peculiar but later made some sense. He said that there may very well be no earthly relationships in Heaven. All relationships are effectively erased, neutralised or abolished. This means that our wife will no longer be our wife in Heaven. Our children will no longer be our children. Even our friends will not appear in Heaven as our friends. Quite uncanny, though not altogether illogical, we may walk past our wife and children in Heaven and not know that we had once shared an intimate relationship with them as their matrimonial partner and biological parent.
Nigel further remarked that in Heaven, the only relationship that matters is our relationship with God. All other relationships ceased to exist. This will be how we will spent eternity: with our Heavenly Father in a place of eternal bliss. This prospect may not at first sight appear appealing to the inseparable lovers or the close siblings but I am sure an eternal relationship with God would surpass all earthly relationships in width and in depth. I believe this by faith and by faith only.
If Heaven is going to be Heaven, then earthly relationships, with all its emotional baggages, misgivings and spousal conflicts, can only make Heaven less than perfect, peaceful and blissful. To be sure that our relationship is perfect, devoid of envy, disappointments and betrayal, we would be better off keeping one relationship alive and shining, that is, our relationship with the Prince of Peace. King David once wrote, "One thing I ask the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple." (Psalm 27:4)
When all heavenly souls keep their eyes and minds on God, I believe all else fades into oblivion: all worries, all sorrows, all earthly pain - even all nostalgic longings that are aroused when we think about our earthly relationships. So consumed by God's presence, we become one with God and loose all perspective of self - our carnal cravings. When desires of the world lose its allure, we are then truly transformed to be like Christ, our brother and savior. "The vision of God has a transforming power," writes a 19th century priest, Father J. Boudreau. "Thus the soul, because she only sees God as He is, is filled to overflowing with all knowledge; she becomes beautiful with the beauty of God, rich with His wealth, holy with His Holiness, and happy with His unutterable happiness." We can therefore trust that all our loved ones will be so caught up with God's glory to ever miss us in Heaven!
In the end, Heaven is truly Heaven because God makes it so. His presence makes Heaven special. Without God, Heaven is just another place - an address with a fancy name. But with God, Heaven becomes a purposeful haven, an eternal resting place for the tired soul, a river of living water and a home where the heart will always feel at home.
Let the inspiring words of John Donne lift your spirit, warm your heart and renew your hope in Heaven, "I shall rise from the dead...I shall see the Son of God, the Sun of Glory, and shine myself as that sun shines. I shall be united to the Ancient of Days, to God Himself, who had no morning, never began...No man ever saw God and lived. And yet, I shall not live till I see God; and when I have seen Him, I shall never die."
Any views on Heaven-living?
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