I have tried this week to compile a picture of Heaven in respect of what it looks like and the contents of heaven.
Even my best attempt falls short and therefore the front cover of the brochure would be summed up by probably the most played Christian song in these last few years, “I Can Only Imagine”.
Many of us can relate to this title in our present situation. I can only imagine going to the park with no social distancing, a restaurant, and cinema, being in church with my church family, a handshake, need I go on? I thought not! Will those days ever come back? I can only imagine they will.
Last night I watched a movie which totally gripped me. No prizes for guessing the title of the movie, “I Can Only Imagine”, yes that’s right! No violence, sex or bad language, just a story of how this famous song came to be written. An abusive father who beat his wife and son up. The son would years later describe his father as a “monster”. You watch the development of this young man who enters the music industry and is told “you won’t achieve anything go home”.
Arriving home he finds his father is searching for forgiveness and asking can God ever forgive me to which the reply is yes. Eventually the father comes into a relationship with our Heavenly Father. The father is dying of cancer and through this pain the father and son are united and healed from all the past hurts. After the father’s funeral the son pens those beautiful words “I can only imagine”, which turns out to be a bestselling Christian song reaching platinum status.
The son reflects by saying my father was a monster whose life was transformed by the power of God into a man I want to become like. The son is called Bart Millard and no he was not a failure in the music industry, just the reverse, his songs are truly inspirational and are sung by millions.
Today Bart’s father is in Heaven, and Bart waits to see him there. For the one thing I do know about heaven is it is a place where all can go if they want to. A real Heavenly father who is not abusive, just the opposite (For God the Father so loved the world that He sent His only son Jesus into to this world so if we believe Jesus died for our sins we too can have a relationship with the Father).
This Father has never thought of you as a Failure but does want you to come Home. You see this earth was never meant to be your finishing place, the Father always maintained we are just passing through to our permanent place called Heaven. The choice like for Bart’s father was to ask for forgiveness.
Do not let these different times destroy your peace and hope whether you can imagine ever coming out of this again unscathed. Remember Heaven is real and available where no talk of failure, viruses, diseases, pain or sorrow are mentioned. For the rest of heaven and what it looks like well “I Can Only Imagine”.