I can only imagine what it will be like – to walk by Your side, to have Your face before me, to worship You forever, to be surrounded by Your glory ........... what will my heart feel? Will I dance for You, Jesus, or in awe of You be still? Will I stand in Your presence or to my knees will I fall? Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all? I can only imagine; I can only imagine. Those words are sung frequently at the memorial services of loved ones who are already living the reality of those words. With intensity and a pulsing, escalating crescendo, the truth of our hope fills the chapel, the sanctuary, the meeting place of friends and loved ones. The words comfort us because in those moments, earth is transcended and Heaven becomes very, very real. I have never heard those words sung though more beautifully, more passionately, than when I have stood in the midst of a hundred moms whose children have already been embraced by Jesus in the very, very real surroundings of Heaven in all of its perfection. As they sing, they see Jesus, nail-scarred hands welcoming them, their personhood transfixed as they bow or dance, shout or weep, in the presence of the One who has made it all possible, and they see too, the outreached arms and joy-filled faces of babies, small children, older children – all of whom left earth all too abruptly, as earthly perspective would have it. In the presence of Jesus, emptiness suddenly is bursting with fulness, the rawness of mourning is transformed into unspeakable joy. I watch the faces of other moms even as I swell with my own emotions, holding on to those moments that etch the certainty of my hope deeply within my own heart. Faces, uplifted. Faces, encouraged. Faces, tears streaming from hearts that feel suddenly alive. What will it be like??? What will my heart feel??? I can only imagine, truly, I can only imagine.
God is real. My hope is real. Its foundation is secure. All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance – an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay........ So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. The joy is in my expectation even in the midst of trials, difficulties, and tragedy. Within the very real Heaven that my heart longs for, broken bodies will be made whole. Confusion will be clarified. The senseless will find purpose. Tears will cease and the desperation of emotions will be quieted. I will be embraced by the One who has loved me since He first thought of me. And I will be embraced by the child, the parent, the spouse, the loved one, who has already been living the reality of Heaven and has been waiting for me. I can only imagine.
– Bev
(Related Bible reading: 1 Peter 1:3-6)
