The Way It Was Meant To Be

I haven't blogged in awhile, not because I'm too busy but because the things I've been thinking about (which is always what I blog about) would frankly just offend you. And I don't get any pleasure from offending anyone. So I've been keeping my thoughts to myself as best I can, save for my morning coffee visits with my BFF, Stan, a.k.a. "spouse".

But the last few days I've been thinking about something that I think you could take without having your feelings hurt, so I'm going to go ahead and open up the twisted brain to the world for a moment. I'll be careful.

If you ever want to do something for somebody who will appreciate it (and have the thoughtfulness to TELL you they're appreciating it), do something for my friend Natalie. One of the things I love most about her is that she opens her heart to you and tells you what she's thinking and feeling. Its not always positive, mind you: If your zipper is open, she'll tell you. If you do something stupid, she'll tell you. If you mis-pronounce a word, she might humiliate you. BUT, if you do something for her or give her something that she loves, she will lavish you with all manner of affection - verbal and otherwise - and I love that. I have many people in my life who are either (a) not appreciative or (b) they are, but they don't show it. So I've tried to love people without expecting anything back, but it feels so good when somebody does at least say thank you.

Okay - I digressed there. Sorry. SO, Natalie and Michael went to the Master's yesterday courtesy of Stan's Dad - Bud Bedingfield - who has the coveted tickets and is oh-so-generous to share them with his sons and their friends. (I should tell him I appreciate that when he comes for Easter tomorrow...)

Sorry again. It's early and I haven't had my medication yet. So Natalie calls me last night on the way home from the tournament to regale me with a beautiful account of her day in Augusta, and her well-told story lifted my thoughts beyond just the Master's and onto Home. Here are some of her experiences and I'll show you what I mean:

• The View: Obviously one of the most memorable things about going to the Masters in Augusta is the course. Whether or not you are into golf, the nature there is just magnificent. The grass is greener than anything you've ever seen, and so perfectly groomed you'd like to have it in your living room. I always want to lay down on it, but they won't let you.

Now imagine what the views in Heaven might look like: I was just reading a book this week and I never realized that "heaven" won't be a separate place from here - it will be here, but restored here. "Here" as it was meant to be - not how it is now.

1 Corinthians 3 talks about how our life's work will be tested in the fire, like gold. Only the dross is burned away. This is the fire Peter talks refers to when he says "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare" (2 Peter 3:10, NIV). The meaning of the word used here is much closer translated as revealed. In other words, the world will be exposed to judgment, and the earth will be cleansed of all unrighteousness.

The writer of the book of Revelation sees the New Jerusalem not floating in the clouds but descending from heaven to the earth and he hears a "loud voice from the Throne saying 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God." (Rev.21:2-3)

I love the last scene in Titanic when they pan to a shot of the ship at the bottom of the ocean; there is mold or barnicles or whatever that gray stuff is all stuck to everything in the ship. As they pan the ship, one side of the screen becomes the "scrubber" and restores everything to its original beauty. The brass gets polished, the staircase loses its gray and becomes mahogany again, the chandelier is no longer dark but comes to light. And the old wrinkled lady in the housecoat becomes the beautiful maiden she always was - dressed in a beautiful white wedding gown. She ascends the stairs and steps into the arms of her waiting groom - the dapper Leonardo DiCaprio (her beloved "Jack") who is no longer blue and shivering from cold but wonderously restored himself and waiting for her.

Can you imagine our earth as it was meant to be - not as it is? I can - and I can't wait!

• The Glory of a Great Golf Swing: Natalie was worried before she went that the ticket would be "wasted" on her. She worried out loud that because she's not a golfer (yet) she might not be able to appreciate what she was seeing. She wanted Michael to take one of his golfing buddies instead. We were glad he persisted. He knew what we knew: it doesn't matter whether you play golf or not - you can't be in the presence of someone who is great at what they do and not experience the glory yourself.

We know from Genesis that God created us "in His image". I have wondered many times about what that means exactly. I assume that it means I look something like Him. But what does He look like? And what about me looks like Him? My eyes? My nose? I hope not. As my faith has matured, I've come to realize that "in His image" means more than a physical resemblance or even a "godly character". In the book "Journey of Desire", John Eldredge says this:

"More often than not, we think of godliness in moral terms. When we think of a "godly person" we assume that he is devout, or perhaps self-sacrificing and certainly more virtuous than most. But when Genesis declares that we are God's image, it is describing not certain qualities of our character, but capacities of our nature."

When we get to watch someone in their glory - a great golfer, a master violinist, a dancer, a basketball player, a singer who can just effortlessly belt out those incredible notes - we are catching of glimpse of their Maker. He made that. He gave them that talent. They have honed that skill and certainly continually work at it, but He's the one who placed that desire and talent in them. Whether they attribute their talent to its Origin or not does not change the fact that they bear the image of their Creator when they do that thing.

Our friend Bill calls it "shimmering". And we're all blessed when we're in the presence of someone who is shimmering.

• The Crowd: Everyone who goes to the Master's for the first time always comments about the spectators. This is the quietest, most well-behaved crowd you're ever going to encounter. Natalie said that when she watched golf on TV she had always assumed there was a "mute" button when the golfer hit the ball. She was shocked to find that it really is that quiet. In her words "How can 500 people standing at one hole be so quiet! Nobody was even telling anybody else to shush!"

Have you ever thought about how different our daily experiences have to be because of the wickedness of people? Think about it - you always lock your car and house doors because you can't walk off and leave those things unattended without fear that someone will steal something. You never take your eyes off of your baby (even when they're 17!) in the mall because someone might hurt them. The very existence of "lockers" - at school, at work, at Disneyworld - they're only there because we don't trust each other.

Even the things we buy cost a lot more because we can't trust one another. You may not realize this, but you pay about 25% more for every single item you buy in a store because of the cost of packaging. Why does the shredded cheese you buy have a "locked and sealed" zip top? Because somebody might put something in there or take something out before you buy it if its not locked. Why are cd's so blankety-blank hard to get into?? Because someone might take out the original cd before you get it. You get it.

What if that weren't the case? What if your life were not marred by the sin of yourself or others? Does that sound boring to you?? Not to me. It sounds gloriously free; free from worrying about my loved ones. Freedom to walk around in a park and enjoy the flowers and trees and feel safe. What if we were free to love others the way we really want to? I always wish I could love perfectly and am very discouraged when I don't.

Some of my favorite scriptures are the ones that promise us that one day all of the sorrow that we experience here will be gone:
"For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Revelation 7:16-17

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
Revelation 21:3-5

I take great comfort in the fact that both of my parents are experiencing that right now. They are doing the work they were created to do, without being weighed down by diseased hearts or frail bodies. They are shimmering and all of their tears have been wiped away.

Truth be told, I'm a little jealous.