Encourage Me: Meaningless

"People think of Heaven as a paradise garden, a place where they can float on clouds and laze in rivers and mountains. But scenery without solace is meaningless." [i]

With the many scripture in the Bible about the topic of Heaven, there are some facts that we can know for sure. Heaven itself is shaped like a cube 1,500 miles high, wide, and long (Revelation 21:16). There are twelve foundations to this city with each layer consisting of a different precious stone. There are twelve gates that surround Heaven with each gate made of one pearl. (Revelation 21:19-21).

The wall surrounding the city is made of a precious stone with the city itself made of translucent gold (this includes the roads). There will be no more sorrow or night because God is the sun that lights this city (Revelation 21:4, 18, 23). For the residence in Heaven communal living will most likely be the housing of choice (John 14:2). There are fruit trees in Heaven on either side of a clear river running through the middle of the city to the throne of God (Revelation 22:1-5).

"This is the greatest gift God can give you: to understand what happened in your life. To have it explained. It is the peace you have been searching for."

One of the most unique interpretations of Heaven I’ve listened to on audiobook (and viewed as a TV movie) both are taken from the novel, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, by Mitch Albom.

An elderly gentlemen named Eddie works as the head of maintenance at Ruby Pier Amusement Park (somewhere by the Atlantic Ocean).On his eighty-third birthday, Eddie dies while attempting to save a small girl from death of a faulty cable on an amusement park ride.[ii]

Upon his entrance into Heaven, he discovers that he will be connected with five people from his past that will help Eddie better understand what his purpose was on earth was.

The five lessons Eddie learns in the next life are important ones for us to remember in this life:

· “Everything happens for a reason. There are no random events in life. All lives and experiences are interconnected in some way, and even the little things you do can affect other people's lives and experiences dramatically. The human spirit knows, deep down, that all lives intersect."

· “Sacrifices are a part of life. Everyone makes these sacrifices. Some sacrifices are big, and others are day-to-day small sacrifices, but they all make an impact in other people's lives.”

· “The importance of releasing anger and granting forgiveness [is] there is always more than one side to a story.”

· “[There is a] power [to] love (even after death). There are multiple forms of love (some stronger than others). Lost love is the strongest kind of love (the kind that can be felt even across enormous distances).”

· “There's always a purpose for your life. You live for a reason the same way that people die for a reason. Where you are today is a combination of all your past actions, decisions, and the way the people around you have affected you.”