Joys to Come

I heard this in a song once: "A faith that ranks the joys to come above the pleasures lost." Wrote it down, just tried to look it up. The closest thing I could find: "Best Faith Evans songs, ranked by fans like you." Google, you have failed me once again.

I love that line, though, because I want a faith like that. When I focus on immediate things, I'll settle for something less than I could have had- every time.

It's hard. I'm such an impatient person. I want to be happy NOW. How about you? Are you jumping-up-and-down excited about happiness deferred?

But our lives will not be as long-drawn-out, even, as Christmas Eve. In the grand scheme of all time, they will be more like the first tick of a brand-new clock. And then we'll have an eternity to be happy. So what goes on in the almost-invisible movement of that fragile black wand? We defer a little happiness. Would you shed tears for a happy, successful person because his finger was pinched in a door once when he was two? That's what it's like to be depressed about our troubles in this life. Of course, the two-year-old is going to cry, so it's understandable. But it's so much better- more mature- to be able to look at life as the happy-adult-to-be. I think that's why God gave us Revelation.

I watched Heaven is for Real recently. Rented it from Redbox, got really really busy, didn't return it for five days. I paid way too much to watch that movie. It was so uninspiring, it should have been free.

There's a minister who doesn't even know if he believes in Heaven. A wife who tells him that he should worry about things of this life as she throws things around her kitchen, angry. A little boy who talks about things he saw in a heaven that is basically just like earth, a place where no one will ever hurt him.

I don't believe that Heaven is like that. Colton's heaven was very imaginable. And I believe that Heaven will be unimaginable- more glorious and God-filled than we can possibly imagine. And we who have accepted Christ will be there soon, in His very presence.

In His presence is fullness of joy.

We don't know exactly what it looks like, although Revelation gives us some clues. We don't know what Jesus looks like. Sorry, Colton. If Jesus had wanted us to know what He looked like, He would have described Himself in the Bible. He wouldn't have told us through you.

But with everything He's given us, everything He's done for us, right here in this darkened, miserable world, why would we not believe that Heaven will be absolutely amazing- something to look forward to, to make us smile every day?

"I go to prepare a place for you... that where I am, there you may be also."

I like to think about this when I hear about the terrible things happening in the world, when I feel helpless, when life seems dark even with everything that I have been given. That's where I'm going.

Its lamp is the Lamb.

And there will be no more night.