Do you ever wonder if, once your earthly life with all its drama and excitement passes, heaven will be flat and boring? Such a viewpoint, while common, understandably makes it difficult to look forward to eternity.
It reminds me of another conquest with an important “ever after.”
Hi, I’m Lauren Thell, author of Christian YA fiction and blogger for teens who are ready to exceed the world’s expectations.
In This Article
A Comparison to Marriage
A recent Instagram post by Girl Defined posed an interesting question: Why do the majority of Disney princess movies end at the wedding, leaving the future hanging with a pronouncement of “And they lived happily ever after”? Why don’t we ever get a glimpse behind the curtain of marriage?
From our vantage point, the journey to and conquest of love/romance/marriage appears to be more exciting than the “ever after.” Like a plateau, where the sides are steep and fraught with adventure until the top flattens out. In some ways, this is accurate. The fireworks of a new romance, the challenge of winning a heart, of learning all you can about that one person—these are all very exciting. In comparison, marriage seems mundane, right?
But to assume the best is over once the wedding night ends—or, in the case of eternity, once you’ve passed the pearly gates—is to underestimate the value of the gift.
LOOK FORWARD TO MARRIAGE: REAL DEPTH
On the day I married my husband, I thought I knew him inside and out. I knew he liked the color blue, hated peas, loved to hunt and fish, and was pretty comfortable around kids. I thought we were as close as two people could get.
On the day I married my husband, I thought I knew him inside and out.
Thirteen years later, I look back and am appalled by how little I knew. Today, I know how important my respect is to him and what behaviors in his classroom really rattle him. I know that spending quality time with him means more to him than expensive gifts. I’ve witnessed how hunting and fishing are more than hobbies to him, that they’re a means of providing for his family—something he takes very seriously. And I now know he does sometimes eat peas.
It’s the difference between learning about someone and knowing him.
LOOK FORWARD TO HEAVEN: REAL-LIVE EXPERIENCE
Here on earth, we think we know all there is to know about God. We read the Bible, go to church, pray, go through the motions of living in this awesome world he created. But have you ever seen God’s face? Heard his voice in audible sounds? Stood in the blinding light of his glory?
Ezekiel experienced all of the above in a series of visions, and he doesn’t mince words when he describes it:
It’s the difference between learning about someone and knowing him.
- “I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.” Ezekiel 1:28
- “Then the man brought me to the gate facing east, and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of rushing waters, and the land was radiant with his glory.” Ezekiel 43:1-2
Can you envision it, based on these words alone? The closest concrete comparison we can make is with the sun and the rainbow of colors created when the sun’s light is refracted by a prism. But even then, we’re only guessing.
Once you reach heaven, the guessing game will end. The knowledge you gained through your study of his Word will be completed by the real-live experience of living in his physical presence. You’ll witness his awesome glory for yourself, hear his voice with your own ears, encounter feelings that are so foreign to our earthly existence we don’t even have words for them.
“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” 1 Corinthians 13:12
It’s the difference between learning about someone and knowing him.
You don’t have to have all the answers.
but, hey, why not?
Bring me your questions about faith, life, God, the Bible… and I’ll help you find the answers.
LOOK FORWARD TO ETERNITY
If you’ve never been married, it’s hard to see how marriage could possibly be more riveting than the exhilaration of new love. And this isn’t a perfect comparison. Here on earth, some marriages fail. Bleary-eyed mornings after a long night with a crying infant, arguments over who used the last roll of toilet paper, the humdrum routine of work and laundry are perhaps some of the reasons Disney movies stop at marriage.
It’s the difference between standing in a puddle and immersing yourself in the Pacific Ocean.
But the depth of your knowledge of your dating partner versus that which you will gain of your spouse during marriage is the difference between standing in a puddle and immersing yourself in the Pacific Ocean.
Unlike marriage, heaven is above the influence of human imperfection. You are already known by your Maker. But when you cross the gate into eternal life, you will know him as fully as he knows you. And I don’t see how that could ever be humdrum.
You can look forward to eternity because, as with marriage, that’s where the adventure really starts!
The best IS yet to come…..AND IT IS FOREVER, thanks to our Savior Jesus! ??♥️✝️
It is so very hard to imagine, that is for sure. And then to take it one step further and try to imagine what it will be like once Christ comes again. ? Mind blowing. I may not be able to wrap my head around it but I know it will be good…. REAL good.
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