A Taste of Heaven

Hustling through the mall, I quickly popped into another store. Although I don't like malls very much and I hate shopping, it was one of the things on my list for the day. As I browsed through the store, lost in my own thoughts, I was quickly pulled back to reality when I heard my name.

"Hey, Mai! How's it going?"

Looking up, I was first startled, surprised, and then overjoyed as I recognized her to be a friend from high school that I hadn't seen in quite a while. We chatted, caught up on each other's lives, and then wished each other luck as we went our separate ways. It was just a brief encounter, but it made me so happy to see an old friend again.

It seemed like just a little taste of heaven. Imagine.....strolling down the streets of gold, stopping to dip your feet in the river. Later as you meander past the tree of life trying to decide which fruit you'd like to eat this time, your thoughts are interrupted by someone speaking your name. As you turn to look, you quickly recognize a friend from the past. Maybe it's someone who the sinful world took from you too soon, or someone who merely drifted away with time and distance. The sheer joy of seeing another friend who made it past all the trials and into the Kingdom will make the moment so sweet. I can just imagine wrapping that person in a huge embrace while throwing my head back with overflowing laughter and happiness. Won't that be amazing? But this time as you catch up and share the stories of how you made it through, it won't have to be a brief encounter. You won't have to wish each other luck and carry on.......you'll have eternity to share together!

Sometimes in life I get discouraged. I don't always want to meet new people and make new friends because I fear one day I'll have to say goodbye to them, too. So many good people have walked in and out of my life, some for longer than others, but the one hope I have is that I'll get to catch up with them in Heaven. Having that hope makes this depressing world easier to handle. The goodbye's are still hard, but at least I have something to look forward to, and it also encourages me to point everyone I meet to Jesus so that I will get to meet them in Heaven again one day.

So please, look for me when you get to Heaven. I know there'll be a thousand other things you'll want to do first, but after you do all that, come find me and I'll give you that big hug I was talking about! I can't wait to see you there!