Longing For Eternity

I'm always reaching for something I don't have.  When I was a child, it was a home that I didn't have to move away from.  As a teenager, it was romance and love.  Now that I'm older and spoiled rotten by a wonderful husband and son, it's pettier stuff, like a house of my own.  Getting back into jeans I wore as an eighteen-year-old.  Wanting to publish my books and turn my nose up at a 9 to 5 job.  I'm sure you can relate.  (Come on.  Don't throw me under the bus.  You know what I'm talking about.)  So what's wrong with us?  Why can't we be satisfied with what we have?


Photo by "floato"

This is what I think: in our own unique little ways, we're simply longing for eternity in heaven with God.  Think about it.  We want beautiful homes filled with treasures and things that please us and scream our personalities.  Jesus said that He was preparing a place for us in heaven.  (John 14: 2-3)  Do you like gold?  In heaven, they pave the roads with that stuff.  (Rev. 21:21)  So why drool over a beautiful house or bathroom you saw on Pinterest when God is your architect and contractor?  (I've heard He's an exceptional carpenter, too. ;-)  Houses and belongings in this life will disappoint us when they break and become imperfect, but our homes in heaven will never be destroyed.  (Matt. 6:19-20)

We want to have the perfect body without exercising or watching what we eat.  Guess what.  Your dreams come true in heaven.  Finally, you will be able to eat and never gain a pound.  (Luke 24: 42-43)  Don't get carried away though, gluttony is frowned upon.  Oh, and there's no need for anti-wrinkle cream or acne medication.  You'll have perfect skin and look twenty-five (ever seen the Sandlot?) "for-ev-vur."  (Phil. 3: 21)  Not to mention all the cool stuff you'll be able to do like appear and disappear in different places.  (John 20:19, 26; Luke 24: 31)

We Americans especially place a high priority on pursing the "American Dream".  We want to enjoy the work we do for a living.  6 AM in a cold car bites.  And just say no to micro-managing bosses and uncooperative co-workers.  Really that's not the half of it, because if everyone stopped expecting you to do your job along with everyone else's, maybe you wouldn't be so stressed out all the time.  You want to quit, but money makes the world go round, right?  Not in heaven.  No more 6 AM and hours wasted in bumper-to-bumper traffic.  No more working for money.  No more difficult bosses and co-workers.  But don't think you're going to be floating on clouds and playing golden harps -- you will have a job.  I don't know the details, but the Bible does say that we will be priests and kings in His kingdom (Ex. 19:6; Rev. 1:6; 5:10) and that we will judge angels.  (1 Cor. 6:3)  I heard you gulp.  Don't be afraid of the awesome responsibilities that mental image conjures up.  God hires based on our faithfulness with the talents/resources we have in this life, not our qualifications.  (Matt. 25: 14-30; Luke 19: 11-26)

Personally, I'm hoping that God will let me write books for Him, even if its just for Him.  Forget Thomas Nelson, people -- I'm setting my sights on God as my publisher and reader.  Now that is my idea of a writer's paradise! :-)

So how about you?  What ambitions and knickknacks are veiling your own longing for eternity?