My Heavenly Bucket List

My heavenly bucket list, those things I want to do when I leave this world to spend eternity with God, my Abba Father. Not a very long list (yet), but I think I’ve covered about a million years. Some items on the list are down right silly and ostentatious, while others are of a more serious nature. While talking with others about this list I’ve been met with both amusement and horror. Inevitably the comment is made, “God doesn’t need you to tell him what you want to do or what you’d like him to do.” Almost as if I was stepping out of line asking God for seemingly frivolous things. Come on, this is Heaven, “won’t it just be one long worship service of songs and sermons?”

I believe God does want us to request things from him, from the frivolous to the humungous. I’m not sure of who told me, but this image has always stuck with me: God waiting expectantly in front of a huge warehouse of magnificent gifts for each of his children. All they have to do is to ask for something so he can bestow gifts upon those he loves. God also commands us to talk to him; we call it prayer here on planet Earth. Besides, what would be the point to creating human beings to interact with if we didn’t communicate back? God wants, craves our attention, and not just about the horrible, big things.

You can agree that when things are horrible or spectacularly good God wants to know about them. Do you believe he also wants to hear the little things, the silly and frivolous things (sometimes they turn out not so small and silly.)? How wonderful it will be to spend eternity with God. I can’t wait to explore everything, met everyone (including all the angels!) and spend my time doing whatever God asks of me.

What’s on My Heavenly Bucket List?

1. Forget flying, I want to instantaneously transport myself everywhere. (I never got the idea of the journey being the fun part.)

2. I want my house to change daily based on my needs of the day. If I’m having a ton of people over – give me a huge ballroom, if I’m entertaining a few people – a cozy tea room, if I’m reading or writing – a quiet library, and if I’m having a backyard BBQ – the biggest backyard ever!

3. I also want to change location often (how else will I meet everyone if I stay in one place!).

4. I’d like to be able to breath underwater and withstand great pressure so I can dive with the wales.

5. I want to sing in the heavenly choir.

6. I want to learn to do and know everything possible (this might take a few million years!).

7. I want to talk with John and understand his special relationship with Jesus.

8. I want to have a time each day to sit and talk with Jesus and God.

9. I’d like to be able to SEE the Holy Spirit.

And the list goes on and on…Forever is a lot of time to fill up.

I don’t know if God will ever fulfill any of these requests. He might ignore each and everyone. That’s ok. He knows me better than I know myself and whatever he chooses will be breathtaking and extravagant! But, some how I think he will.

What’s on your Heavenly Bucket List?

Mansions in Heaven

As our world seems to be rushing head long into the Apocalypse, I've been dreaming of Heaven and the New Earth. It's very exciting to think of eternity and all that I've always wanted to do, people I want to meet, conversations I want to have with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, and just being in God's presence physically. My imagination runs wild, although I know it doesn't compare to the wonderful and amazing things God has planned for me.

There is one black mark marring my perfect picture of life on the New Earth. The city. The city that is 1400 or so miles square! Paved with gold, adorned with every known jewel, and inhabited by every person who has embraced the one and only Truth (ok, that part will be nice). I do not like cities, nice places to visit, but not for me to live. I also hate ostentatiousness (my new word). I don't like gaudy or things that are gilded. I want green grass, lots of trees, gardens, and lots of animals around where I live. Give me an old Victorian home with lots of amazing wood work, secret passageways, hidden reading nooks, and a massive libraries and a nice kitchen. My ideal and the way the Holy City seems to be portrayed in the Bible don't seem to line up.

For a while that freaked me out. Where would I live? Would I be forced to live in the city in a house walled with jewels and gold? Would I be cut off from the nature I so love, and clean air? For a while I no longer wanted to go to Heaven, but I certainly didn't want to go to Hell!

Then, wandering into my brain from a source outside myself (read Holy Spirit speaking to me), saying my pastor likes to use. If we both thought the same, did the same things, agreed on everything, liked the same things, one of us would be redundant and unnecessary.

Here I sit, in a house and life I never wanted, asked for, or thought I would enjoy. How much better God knows me than I know myself. I can look back through the years and observe God's faithfulness in my life to care for me, give me the things I need, and even things just for the shear enjoyment of them. Obviously He loves me greatly and wants to make me happy. Knowing me as well as He does, and I know the number of times He has been right in knowing exactly what I wanted compared to what I thought I wanted, I need to have faith. He has been faithful and consistent the whole time I've known Him, what makes me think He'll change once I get to Heaven.

For the most part I rest contented in the thought that whatever place He has prepared for me will be exactly what I want and need. But, I have had numerous chats with Him about what I'd like...

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Once again it is raining where I live. This whole past year seems to have been filled with precipitation of some kind or another. I do not mind colder weather or even wet weather, but I despise monotony. I like my weather to change. I like the hot, I feel sick weather, and the it's so cold my nostrils are freezing together weather and everything in between. So, the weather is finally getting to me. We've had this same weather for a year now and I've had enough of it. Why doesn't someone else get the rain, I know they need it more than we do right now.

To cheer myself, and the kids, up, I've been listening to 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' sung by Ella Fitzgerald. I love her rendition of this classic song. I especially love the words at the beginning.

When all the world is a hopeless jumble
And the raindrops tumble all around,
Heaven opens a magic lane
When all the clouds darken up the skyway,
There's a rainbow highway to be found
Leading from your window pane
To a place behind the sun,
Just a step beyond the rain

- E.Y. Harburg

Recently a friend's grandmother passed away. There was some sadness, but much rejoicing at her leaving us. While she has left us, she has gone on to a wonderful homecoming. Makes me a little jealous when I actually take the time to read the news and see what a mess our world has become. I can't wait till I take that step over from this world to Heaven. Listening and singing this song reminds me that someday, many of us will take that step to a place beyond the rain. It may be raining outside, but there is sunshine in my heart.