There are certain things so good they are beyond adjectives. On this very warm August evening I have just consumed an Orange Creamsicle. Our family used to call them Dreamsicles. Not only was it delicious on my tongue it was even more so in my mind. I was five-years-old again sitting with my father on the front steps of our house. I remember slowly licking away the orange outer layer trying to make it last as long as I could. My dad was eating a Fudgsicle. We were in heaven.
Heaven is not so much a place as it is a state of mind. We drove past a church today that had a sign over its front door that said, “Gateway to heaven.” My first thought was there must be a lot of really nice people who worship there. Making a place heaven doesn’t really have to be very difficult. It is merely treating people the way you want to be treated.
This afternoon at a church picnic I saw one of our smaller members wearing a Minnesota Vikings t-shirt. “Hey,” I said, “You are in Patriot’s country.” Even though he is a little guy I know him well enough to know he would not be intimidated by me. “My mom likes the Vikings,” he said. So I responded. “The next time I see you I am going to give you a Patriot’s shirt.” “Really,” he beamed as he hurried over for me to check his shirt size. You can be sure I have a big note on my desk. That is a promise I will make sure to keep.
Heaven isn’t about winning the lottery. Heaven is about being with people who care about you. Heaven starts now not sometime in the future.
Written by Roger Bothwell on August 22, 2011
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org