Five People We Meet In Heaven

I am continually amazed at the many ways God communicates with us. No matter what circumstance, good or bad, God finds endless ways to reach into my life and touch me. I am brought to tears when the reality of His love overwhelms my heart. To think that the Creator of all mankind would know me personally and care for me enough to minister to me one on one...

The issue of Heaven has been on my mind and heart lately. A book, a class at church, a teacher with a beautiful heart and hunger for God, and an outspoken student with an opposing opinion - all have been instrumental in bringing me to this place.

The mystery of Heaven still swirls about, dancing in the wind like billowing smoke from a freshly extinguished candle. But the mystery is now sweet, no longer thorns on a rose. I know that I am incapable of full understanding, and I am at peace with that. I trust God enough to believe that whatever He has in store will leave me speechless.

Life holds much fullness. Richness in spirit beyond compare. The future is brighter than the past. Hope is the eternal spring that waters all living things and helps them bloom with vibrant colors, sweeter than any perfume. Can't you hear the melodious call of adventures not yet taken? Laughter not yet spun? Lives not yet woven?

I must share with you a movie called "Five People We Meet In Heaven" starring Jon Voight. The movie is based on the book by Mitch Albom. I implore you, get up from your computer right now, find this movie and watch it today. It is a beautiful picture of the mixture of lives that are woven together like lace. In the end, we all effect one another. In the end, we all have the same story.

No matter how ineffective you may feel, your influence reaches beyond your comprehension. No matter how wasteful, unfulfilling and purposeless you think your life might be, you will be amazed to see whose lives have been changed because of you.

I bought this movie weeks ago. I kept seeing it at the store. It kept drawing my attention every time I entered the movie section. I would pick it up, look at it, and always put it back down. One day I decided to buy it. I brought it home and stuck in on my DVD shelf, where it sat for weeks. Tonight, in the quiet of the evening with no one home but me, it was time for me to watch it (this is the goosebumpy part of how God works). I know now why God prompted me to buy it, then waited until now to move me to watch it.

In my struggle to understand eternity, judgment, Heaven, etc, I had become so bogged down with differing opinions and ideas that Heaven had begun to lose its appeal. Sure, it was definitely a better alternative than Hell. But beyond that, I wasn't all too excited about it. I didn't want to slip back into the mode of just ignoring the idea of death and eternity because I didn't understand it. And God knew I needed a break. It is just like God to lay all this groundwork, till the soil of your heart, get every detail primed and ready before delivering a message. Then He drops a lightning bolt from Heaven right into your heart, in that exact spot He has soften and prepared to be able to hear and understand.

I've always said "God is a gentleman. He will never force Himself on anyone." I love how He loves on us in ways we are able to accept at the moment. Be it a direct word, sunbeams, a "random" email, a song, an act of love from a friend, a butterfly, the laughter of a child, a movie, your dog or a spider on the sidewalk - He always finds just the right way into your heart! To think that the Creator of the universe loves us so much that He would go to all that trouble. Then again, when you are crazy in love with someone, I guess it's really no trouble at all...

This movie really spoke to me, and I do beg you to watch it. I won't give you many details because you need to experience it for yourself. This movie may not be the vehicle God uses to speak to you. Your message may be coming in a different form. But it is coming. God longs to romance us. To find those sweet ways to remind us of His love. To reassure us that we are forgiven and safe under the umbrella of His grace.

I don't always walk on a cloud. I don't walk around under a giant beam of light. But sometimes, often when I least expect it - God will smile on me in such a way that causes my heart to burst. Makes me feel like I live in a musical. I want to dance in the streets, swing around a lamp post - all while singing at the top of my lungs. This movie just happened to do that for me, and I thought you should know!