Lately, my thoughts have been of that new life that is literally centered on, and in the presence of God. It will be a reality without any boundaries, as it will be a life unlike anything we can imagine this side of heaven. We know we have the Holy Spirit revealing things to us of eternity, but while living here, it is impossible to fully understand it all. We do know that God’s presence will take center stage, for nothing can exist in His presence that will overshadow His light. In fact, we know that shadows will have no place in our heavenly home.
We take comfort in saying that when we have reached our heavenly home we will be communing with those that have gone before us, those that we knew in this earthly life. The Scripture tell us in 1 Thessalonians 4:17, “We who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” Those that we have know and loved on earth we shall know and love in heaven. The day will come when our longing for those that we knew will be complete, and in God’s presence we shall all worship Him together.
In sorting through some personal family items, my sister’s and I found an old cross. The cross is 77 years old. We know that this is factual because in the back of the cross was a small compartment that held pieces of paper dated from the early 1940’s.
When my uncle was 17 years old he drowned while swimming with his friends. This was the cross that was displayed on his coffin all those many years ago. He was my father’s youngest brother at that time. As I thought of this uncle, that I never met, I was struck by the years of life that he did not get to live out here on earth. I know that it was a tragedy for my father’s family and one where his mother never fully recovered.
My faith tells me that all those years ago this young man closed his eyes here and opened them there. There in the presence of God his life took on its true meaning. In all its fullness, he experienced what he was not able to experience here.
We can only imagine what it will be like is a line in a song that most of us have heard, and I absolutely agree. Our imaginations will never be able to reach the heights of the life that is awaiting us in God’s presence, yet our hearts tell us that it will be wonderful, and our spirits have an eternal longing to be with the One who is our Father.
John 1:18 CSB No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is truly God is the closest to the Father, has shown us what the Father is like.
1 Corinthians 2:9 CSB But as it is written, what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has conceived—God has prepared these things for those who love him.