John 14:3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
A little boy in our church recently asked his parents if there would be toys in heaven. His dad assured him, “Yes, there will be toys in heaven.” I guess the 5-year-old needed more clarification because he responded, “Lots of toys?”
We all have questions about this place Jesus is preparing for us, don’t we?
Sadly, the coronavirus has brought untimely death to our attention. The news reports daily death tolls for the world, the country, states, counties and cities. It’s prompting some to ask, What’s next? Is there a heaven? What’s heaven like? Are there any toys there?
I believe it’s important to learn as much as we can about heaven. Of the 66 books in the Bible, 54 mention heaven/eternity. And in the book of Matthew alone, Jesus mentions heaven about 70 times. Paul warns us in Colossians 3:2 to set our minds on things above, not on the earth.
Thinking about heaven not only reassures us about our future, it gives us the context we need to live in the present.
One of my favorite C.S. Lewis quotes: “Our Father refreshes us on our journey with pleasant inns but will not encourage us to mistake them for home.” Those who find the greatest contentment on earth realize this life is not all there is. We can appreciate the “pleasant inns” of tasty food, thoughtful conversations and a good book. Of football games and fireplaces and lifelong friends. But we recognize they come as shadows of what lies ahead. So we don’t hold on too tightly. Bob Goff writes this side of heaven is like the smell of a pie baking in the oven. The best is yet to come.
Heaven also teaches us how to deal with the not so pleasant inns of suffering. Romans 8:18 says our present sufferings can’t compare with the future glory headed our way. In light of eternity, our pain lasts but a short moment. We rise from our suffering with fire-tested courage and up-from-the-ashes beauty when we understand God uses our pain for higher purposes.
So for every follower of Christ the answer to “what’s next?” is what makes life worth living.