Thursday, August 30, 2012

Friday Loose Bloggers Consortium: What Does Heaven Look Like?


I recently read a note from a friend who has been traveling through southern China that said that when she saw "Gui Lin", it looked like heaven. I have to admit that Gui Lin comes pretty close to an ideal location. But I think the beauty of heaven has more to do with the people there, than an actual physical beauty.

If it were heaven, would people there be unkind to each other? No, because then it wouldn't be heaven.
If it were heaven, would people gossip about each other? No, because then it wouldn't be heaven.
If it were heaven, would we sit around and do nothing, and just play harps all day? No, that would be hell. Who could sit around and do nothing and be happy?

But having said that, I do think that heaven will be a beautiful place. In fact, we believe that there are three heavens, that their glory could be symbolized by the varying glory of the sun, moon, and stars. Just as the sun and the stars differ in brightness, so will the highest heaven, and the lowest. This earth, in all its glory cannot begin to compare with the lowest heaven. The higher heavens' glory is unfathomable to the human mind.

Let me finish by telling you a joke I heard many years ago. A man was on his death bed, and prayed and asked God to let him bring just one thing with him to heaven. God said, "I don't normally do this, but okay, just this one time." So the man filled a suitcase with gold bricks. When he got to the pearly gates of heaven, St. Peter met him. St. Peter said, "What do you have in that suitcase?" The man said, "It is full of gold bricks." St. Peter said, "Why would you want to bring paving stones to heaven?"

Whether heaven has gold streets, or diamond walls, I do not know. But what I do know is that it will be more beautiful because of the type of people who live there. This life is just a time of preparation to help us to become the kind of people who would fit in, in heaven.

Now go read what the other consortium members think heaven looks like!

Rummuser, Anu, Ashkok, Gaelikka, Grannymar, , Padmum, Magpie11, andAkanksha,Will Knot, Maria the Silver Fox, Anki, Nema Noor Paul Plain Joe, and Rohit
and The Old Fossil, and our newest member MAXI!

7 comments:

Rummuser said...

I like the idea of being among people who will not gossip and who will be kind to the others there.

But the lack of variety may just bore the hell out of me!

Inklings said...

There will never be a lack of variety in heave, I am sure of it. There will be so many things to learn.

padmum said...

Paved with bricks--beauty!!

This life for me is to be lived to its fullest. There are so many heavens to be experienced on earth as your friend said about Gui Lin!

We should be lucky to have such heavenly experiences! Bless you.

Anonymous said...

You're right - it'll be the delightful neighbours that make it.

Anonymous said...

You're right - it'll be the delightful neighbours that make it.

Grannymar said...

We are in a living heaven or hell, it is up to us to decide which.

Amber said...

I wouldn't want gold streets or diamond walls in my heaven anyway- i want it to be all nature - with maybe a little cabin to rest in :)