Much to my mother’s chagrin, I loved blue jeans and climbing trees when I was a girl. I’d shimmy up the trunk of a tall pine the neighborhood boy couldn’t reach without standing on his bicycle. My trees were forts, castles in the clouds, and hothouses for daydreaming.
My arms and legs no longer scale trees or swing from branches. But I still feel the magic when I peek through leafy limbs.
Our kitchen sits over our garage. The Crepe Myrtle growing beside our garage doors spreads its lovely branches in front of a bank of casement windows. When I look out from my kitchen table, my heart smiles. I’m living in a heated and air-conditioned tree house.
I wasn’t thinking about how much I enjoyed the view from trees when we picked out our house plan or when we planted the Crepe Myrtle. But God remembered.
Our round kitchen table, which doubles as my workstation, reminds me of happy times around my grandmother’s kitchen table. Max, my brilliant standard poodle, ties me to Pepper another lost treasure from my childhood.
Jesus said, “I am going to prepare a place for you! When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.” John 14:2-3 (NLT)
Jesus said, “I am going to prepare a place for you! When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.” John 14:2-3 (NLT) #Hope @DebbieWWilson Click To TweetWhen I recognized how God had restored these long-lost pleasures in my earthly dwelling I got excited. How much more will my heavenly home be filled with special touches that show God’s intimate knowledge of me? What deeper joys await us in heaven?
Not only does this help us face our own death, but also it softens the grief we feel when we lose a loved one.
When our daughter graduated from university she wanted to live in French-speaking Switzerland. Mixed emotions swirled inside of me when she secured a job there. I rejoiced with her that her dream was coming true. But tears seeped out of my eyes when, after our final hugs, she turned to go through airport security. I wasn’t sure when I’d see her again.
Heaven will be better than all of our childhood daydreams combined. The landscape will beat any treetop view. And the air will be honeysuckle sweet.
#Heaven will be better than all of our childhood daydreams combined. The landscape will beat any treetop view. And the air will be honeysuckle sweet. #RechargeWednesday Click To Tweet“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Cor. 2:9 (NLT)
In what ways has God granted you the desires of your heart? How does that boost your hope for heaven?
{This post was first published at debbieWwilson.com 5/29/18}
LINKUP PARTY opens at 6 am!
Christian Bloggers, come share your Blog with our audience below:
1. Add your Link.
2. Visit the blogger before or after and encourage them with a comment.
3. Share on social media. Click below to share on Twitter that you are joining us! We would love to have you follow the ministry on Twitter and Facebook as well: Soaring with Him FB Page
I just posted a blog post on this #LINKUP Party! Will you join us and share your Christ-centered blog post to uplift someone? Today, @DebbieWWilson shares about the hope of #Heaven! Click To Tweet
So wonderful to imagine a perfectly holy place filled with all the undestroyed beauty of God’s creative energy–with NO GOODBYES!
Thank you for this refreshing read.
Michele, I think that is the kind of imagination that makes God smile. Because what He has prepared will be so much better than anything we can imagine!
I grew up on the Texas coastline with easy access to the Gulf of Mexico. Every state I have lived in since has had a coastline, even if it was farther away and I didn’t get to it often. Then we moved to Tennessee ten years ago, and I was a bit sad about its being landlocked. But I discovered TN has lots of lakes, rivers, and streams–I’ve been near the water more here than any place I have lived since childhood. Such a simple, unnecessary thing, but a blessing from a Father who knows my heart. How much better heaven will be, where everything is just right for everyone and will no longer be tainted by sin! Thank you for these thoughts this morning.
Barbara, I grew up in Savannah near the ocean. When I spent a few years in the midwest I ached for the ocean. He’s settled us in NC where we can visit it again. How awesome He gave you the desires of your heart. Lakes are wonderful too.
This is such a wonderfully encouraging post. God gives us glimpses of the beauty and joy yet awaiting us.
I think every time we see something or hear something that stirs our soul, we’ve tasted a bit of what awaits us. Thanks, Joanne.
Living in a heated, air conditioned tree house sounds like a dream to me!! I love this picture of God preparing a place for us and how much better than even the best we dream of now it will be!
Isn’t that exciting to think about? I love that too, Bethany.
So beautifully said, Debbie. Loved hearing about your childhood memories and now your view from your own home. Sometimes we don’t think about heaven enough, we are just too earthly minded. But I love how you brought the two together in perfect balance. And to think the Lord cares enough to prepare a place for us that will be wonderful and memoriable…trumping anything on this earth. So thankful heaven is our home!
Me too, Karen. The older I get the more exciting heaven sounds. Nothing boring about it as some have made it sound
I love thinking about this. How exciting it is to know the best is still ahead! And we think earth has pleasures…we haven’t seen anything yet. 🙂
Amen to that, Lisa!
That all sounds wonderful.
Lauren, I’m sure we’ll be blown away!