I have a rant, go figure.
Toward the end of the week last week, my
mom loaned me her copy of the “Heaven is for Real” book. I knew the movie was coming out and hadn’t
really had much interest in it, but after she told me more about the book, I
thought I’d give it a try.
While there are some parts of it that made
me go, “Yeah… I don’t know about that…” for the most-part I thoroughly enjoyed
the read. So many descriptions provided
by the little boy, Colten, made things ‘make sense’ for me in so many ways. My heart – which seems to take so much more
than it used to – was deeply touched. I
was reminded of a soft side of God that I believed in as a younger girl. The side where I could truly picture myself
crawling up into His lap and finding comfort; where I looked to Him for joy and
strength.
As I said before, there were some things I
had reservations about so I wasn’t surprised when, after the movie’s release
this weekend, I began seeing Facebook flood with articles on the topic. While the ones I read had some good points,
most of them pointed out that in this book - as well as other recently released
books about trips to heaven - the glory of God’s presence is very lacking. The presence that made the prophets of the
Old Testament and John in the New (who give accounts of heaven) ‘faint’ or
weakened for a time. Some of the things
I read gave more leniency to an almost 4-year old boy, but for the most part
still tried to convey that it was more of a dream than what the reality would
be.
This could be true. That I do not deny. But as I’ve thought these articles over, I’ve
only become more perturbed at the arrogance of these writers. “Scripture says it was this way so that must
be the only explanation!” For any of you
who know me, you know I’m not one to veer from Scripture. So please don’t hear me saying that this is
the direction I’m heading. But I just
want to give another perspective.
Daniel, Isaiah, John and another few were
blessed to experience heaven, I believe, in the fullness that God knew they
could handle. These men could,
apparently, handle quite a lot – having experienced the fullness of God’s glory
in heaven. But what about the few people
I knew as a child who experienced more of the ‘watered-down’ and ‘modern-view’
of heaven. Where they saw loved ones and
talked with Jesus, but were told to come back because it wasn’t time yet. These kinds of stories gave me so much hope
as a kid. Seeing that kind of hope
through Colten’s eyes, only his being more unbridled since he actually experienced
something, took me back.
God speaks to people in different
ways. Some people He can be flat-out
straight with, right to the point, laying it all out there. But if you look at how Jesus approached so
many people on earth during His years of ministry, you’ll notice He used a lot
of parables (stories). He intertwined
the Law into them, but in a way their hearts could understand… not beating the
same verses they’d heard all of their lives over and over into their heads to
try to make a point. This makes me
believe that there is something to the stories of others’ experiences. For one, in all the cases I’ve heard about,
the person has hope (it’s not like someone has stolen, killed, or destroyed
something in them). Secondly, while – in
theory – I’d love to experience heaven on this side of life, I don’t think I’d
be one of those who could fully experience His glory. I’d probably die. Remember in the Old Testament where it talks
about people not being able to look on the face of God or they’ll die? That’d be me.
He’s too glorious! He’s too
Holy! Beyond our comprehension!
Comprehension… a word to signify what I’m
getting at. I know we can’t comprehend
heaven… not really. Our finite thinking
brains cannot even wrap around the truly infinite. But what if God chooses to give some people
glimpses? Glimpses into the reality of
what’s next without unfolding the whole thing?
What’s wrong with picturing our Savior, who said “Let the little
children come unto me”, comfort a child on the brink of death – sending him
back to his praying family and church family to complete God’s purposes? Can we not see heaven in such simple terms as
only a child can put it – “rainbows” and never ending light? Or that the final battle is with “monsters”
instead of ____ with the head of a ____ and the tail of a ____, etc.? I’m all for seeing things black and white –
you probably already know that about me.
But if God’s Spirit is going to penetrate the hearts of people, I don’t
see why He can’t use more “watered-down” ways that are simple to understand and
not filled with theological debate and interpretative symbolism.
I guess what irked me the most was that
some of what I read in those articles made heaven out to be a place to
fear. I just do not believe this is
so. God the Father, truly, He is to be
feared while on this earth, but a righteous fear – because He is so Holy and we
are not. But He has shown us His love through His One and Only Son, Jesus. If God can send His Beloved Son to save us,
His beloved, adopted children, we must believe we can trust Him and love Him
and choose Him as our God. (As for the
lack of this part of The Story in the movie, I’m not going there in this
blog. For one, I’ve haven’t seen the
movie – I’ve only had time to read the book.
Two – it’s Hollywood
You think whatever you want… you will
regardless of what I say. But I choose
to believe that God, though righteous and beyond our full understanding of His
character, is a loving Father and that He can use the Holy Spirit to speak to
us in whatever ways He sees fit.
Whatever way that ends up being will usually spur us on to do the things
He would have us do. If those things go
against what He’s laid out in Scripture, then you need to rethink about who
you’re listening to. Otherwise, be excited
to see what He has for you in this journey called life… and for the next,
eternal one where we get to be with Him!
