Heaven is forever
While it’s all a bit of a mystery to us here on earth, heaven is a crucial part of my Christian belief system.
I’ve heard it explained as being in God’s presence forever. The song Amazing Grace has lyrics emphasising that “..when we’ve been there 10,000 years…..we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun”.
Honestly that sounds a bit boring doesn’t it?
On an intellectual level I can understand that being connected with God the way I was designed to be, before the introduction of sin and separation will be wonderful. But on a practical level I have no idea what that will be like.
I have really just taken it at face value, assuming that when I get there, all will be revealed. But last night I got to thinking about heaven (for the first time in years). When I get to heaven I really would like to see my cats again, the ones who have died.
I would like to lie on green grass, with the sun shining and just be with them again.
Right now my most peaceful, joyful moments are when I am relaxed and with a cuddly or playful cat. Last night the husband and I spent 15 entertaining minutes with our new cat, Miss Muffin. She is little more than a kitten and was joyfully leaping, pouncing and wrestling with her catnip mouse. It was a time of real life satisfaction, snuggled in a warm bed with the husband and a cat while the rain beat down on the roof.
But in this life, at the back of my mind there is the knowledge that one day this girl will be gone. Cats have shorter lifespans than us, and when you add in the possibility of road accidents…. I know the time I have here with them is not going to be enough to satisfy me.
Maybe in heaven I will get that forever time with those pets and that will satisfy me. Forever with my pets sounds much better than just “in God’s presence forever”. I can start to comprehend the concept of eternity when I factor in my pets. It means the best of all I have had with them, but without the fear of loss and knowledge of the end coming.
We were not really created to cope with grief. In the perfect plan we would all live forever, and our pets would too. The pain of grief and loss here on earth was never meant to be part of our lives, but was a consequence of the introduction of sin into the world.
Heaven is a return to that perfection without the results of sin, so why wouldn’t my pets be there?
I would like to see Finn grow up. He was hit by a car at 6 months and I felt robbed of so much time and joy when he died.
I would like to see Mischief, my childhood cat with his old age reversed so that he and I could be near each other and relax together in the sun once again.
I would like to spend eternity with my precious Juliet, knowing that her arthritis was healed and knowing that she would be with me forever.
For me the closest I have ever come to heaven is the unconditional love and peace I have experienced with my pets, and I really hope the real heaven has that.
KG
Pic is of Juliet who died a month ago - RIP Juliet
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