My image of heaven has always been a place up in the sky … a journey through a tunnel of bright light. No fear. Ascension of the spirit. Life’s final passage. Many have lucidly described their life-death experiences.My coach and I were discussing heaven yesterday. The journey into eternity… embraced, enveloped in all consuming Love. Returning home. Family, friends greeting you. All those one has loved during lifetime. True bliss. I guess it’s natural to ponder things like this … as you approach your mid seventies.Then our discussion turned to another perspective. Experiencing heaven in a very different way. On an even higher level… where is God. Does he meet us at the “Pearly Gates?” … do we finally see Him when we ascend. With Jesus at his side? Our conversation took this turn.The Bible says, “God lives within us.” … “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” Does this call us to view receiving the Love of God at the end of life? As we finally go to heaven?
Or is there a call to embrace, share God’s Love now… each day here on earth. With each encounter, meeting, interaction with our fellow man? Regardless of circumstance…I would offer that we have uncountable opportunities every day to reach out to another … in love. The postman, the valet, the clerk. A friend, one we pass by, a family member. Virtually every encounter with another person summons us to reach out lovingly, with an openness that elicits love we receive in return from them as well.
Heaven? My coach and I continued. Surely, when we leave this life, we hopefully have those we love most … with us, around us. A friend of mine shared with me recently that his sister in law had died. Before she passed her sister laid in bed beside her and recounted all the highlights, all the joy of there lives together. Tears of pure love. It was all about the love shared between them. While still here, while still able to. A blessing.In the end … all that remains, consumes us hopefully is an all encompassing feeling of Love. But here’s what my coach and I concluded. If God lives in us today, then we need to let his light, the light within us shine upon others… every day, always.
This past year I’ve made a commitment to myself. Every interaction with another human being regardless of status or state in life will be greeted by me with love. Not expecting a loving response or anything in return. Just offering my love to them. Small gifts that might lift their day… a smile, a comment. One of my favorites, “You’re really getting good at this.” You know. The waiter. The guy at the computer store. The young teller at the bank. Fun and uplifting for them. Me too.
This may be a joke, a gesture, a truly sincere compliment. It may be thanking one who serves me at a department store or parks my car. It may be a lady in a walker… someone I greet on the sidewalk. It may be one I’ve had differences with. It may be my wife, child or grandchild who I need to tell more often how much I love them.Virtually everything … I mean everything … if consumed in love changes ones life … brings with it a life filled with a magical enchantment. The absolute recognition and expression of God within us. Love of one another.So heaven is now. Heaven is here at every moment. God indeed calls us to “Love one another as He loves us.”Here’s are a couple of practical things to think about…Try to capture the essence of your spirit. Recall a time when you felt love… love one another fully, completely. Now picture a “V”… like a fan that unfolds. When you’re loved, loving another?
Your “V” is open… sometimes wide open. Flat lined at at it’s extreme. The fan is spread wide. You radiate good feelings. Good feelings come to you in return. Then picture a time you felt unloved. Had a hard time expressing love too. Your “V” is closed. The fan too. Little goes out… little comes in. You feel tight, restricted emotionally.There’s a reason why the windshield is five times larger than the rear view mirror. We learn from, assess life experiences by reflecting … using the rear view mirror. But all we become, all our growth comes when we gaze, reach out through our windshield. It’s what’s next that matters most. Not as much what happened.So, “Love on earth.” That’s our Lord’s true command. That journey to heaven into the sky someday is comforting. A vision of an inspiring end. But our real calling is to experience, share God’s Love, Him within us here, now, every day…
2 Comments
I really get the message here pop pop.
This is my devotional for the day!As my friend says, “ you’re getting good at this”☺️I know it has all been said before, but surely a message that bears repeating and remembering👍