The tug of heaven
Greg Laurie
www.worldnetdaily.com and www.harvest.org
Ever since childhood, I have loved pretty much all things Disney. Like many of my generation, I was raised on the "Mickey Mouse Club." Then there was the television program, "The Wonderful World of Disney," and, of course, the amazing animated films that inspired me to want to become a graphic artist one day.
In Disney's world, there were both heroes and villains, but good always triumphed, and people always lived "happily ever after." Raised in an alcoholic home where divorce and domestic disturbances happened all too often, my visit to Disneyland each year on my birthday was like entering a dream world. I made a vow back then that when I became an adult, I would go to Disneyland every day. The world of Disney drew me in because it held so much promise.
Walt Disney was born with a vivid imagination, and he dreamed of a better world. He even called his employees "Imagineers." Disney was not only trying to create something like his childhood, but something even better. You might even say that he attempted to create a heaven on earth.
Disney, like all of us, was born with "eternity in his heart," as Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us we are. It is a trait unique to humankind. I doubt that animals sit around pondering the meaning of life, but people do.
We are always moving forward. We are on a quest, because I believe that we all have a sense that we were meant for another world. We long for something more. C.S. Lewis called it "the secret signature of each soul." Yet some think they can create a perfect world for themselves with the perfect home, the perfect family, or even the perfect body. But then tragedy strikes and reality kicks in, reminding us that life on earth will disappoint.
How do you handle life when your problems are bigger than you are? Get Greg's manual for adversity: "Dealing with Giants"
There is age-old truth in the Hank Thompson song that says, "This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through. ..." The Bible says of our lives on earth, "We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace" (1 Chronicles 29:15 NLT).
This longing we have deep inside us is for something earth can never deliver – only heaven can. That is why Christians always will be a bit "out of tune" with this world and all it celebrates. Even more, it can simply leave us cold, because as followers of Christ, we know there is something more. Much more.
It was Augustine who said of God, "You have made us and drawn us to yourself, and our heart is unquiet until it rests in you."
Because of this, as we know more about what is in our future, as we know more about our heavenly home, we begin to see this world for what it is.
Having said that, let me point out God made the earth, and it is filled with his handiwork. His signature is, in effect, written across our planet and all of the wonderful things he has made. The Bible even says, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him" (Psalm 24:1 NLT) and that God "gives us richly all things to enjoy" (1 Timothy 6:17 NKJV). More than anyone, a Christian can admire and appreciate a beautiful sunset, knowing that God created it.
On the other hand, we are living on earth with a world system that is under the control of the god of this world. And as we get closer to God, we begin to see it for what it is. The Bible describes the world system this way: "For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world" (1 John 5:16 NLT).
It is like the boy who was flying his kite, and as the kite went up higher and higher, he lost sight of it altogether. Someone who saw him holding on to the string asked him what he was doing.
"I'm flying my kite," the boy replied.
"I can't see your kite anywhere. How do you know it is there?"
"I know it is there," he said, "because I can feel its tug."
In the same way, we know there is a heaven because we can feel its tug. We can feel the pull of it, the tug of it in our souls.
And when we begin thinking more about heaven, it can change our perspective, even our affections. As one minister put it, "We need the expulsive power of a new affection." That new affection causes the old ones to be seen for what they are.
May we, like never before, start thinking about and seeking heaven. If we do, our lives on earth will be transformed – for the better.
In Disney's world, there were both heroes and villains, but good always triumphed, and people always lived "happily ever after." Raised in an alcoholic home where divorce and domestic disturbances happened all too often, my visit to Disneyland each year on my birthday was like entering a dream world. I made a vow back then that when I became an adult, I would go to Disneyland every day. The world of Disney drew me in because it held so much promise.
Walt Disney was born with a vivid imagination, and he dreamed of a better world. He even called his employees "Imagineers." Disney was not only trying to create something like his childhood, but something even better. You might even say that he attempted to create a heaven on earth.
Disney, like all of us, was born with "eternity in his heart," as Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us we are. It is a trait unique to humankind. I doubt that animals sit around pondering the meaning of life, but people do.
We are always moving forward. We are on a quest, because I believe that we all have a sense that we were meant for another world. We long for something more. C.S. Lewis called it "the secret signature of each soul." Yet some think they can create a perfect world for themselves with the perfect home, the perfect family, or even the perfect body. But then tragedy strikes and reality kicks in, reminding us that life on earth will disappoint.
How do you handle life when your problems are bigger than you are? Get Greg's manual for adversity: "Dealing with Giants"
There is age-old truth in the Hank Thompson song that says, "This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through. ..." The Bible says of our lives on earth, "We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace" (1 Chronicles 29:15 NLT).
This longing we have deep inside us is for something earth can never deliver – only heaven can. That is why Christians always will be a bit "out of tune" with this world and all it celebrates. Even more, it can simply leave us cold, because as followers of Christ, we know there is something more. Much more.
It was Augustine who said of God, "You have made us and drawn us to yourself, and our heart is unquiet until it rests in you."
Because of this, as we know more about what is in our future, as we know more about our heavenly home, we begin to see this world for what it is.
Having said that, let me point out God made the earth, and it is filled with his handiwork. His signature is, in effect, written across our planet and all of the wonderful things he has made. The Bible even says, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him" (Psalm 24:1 NLT) and that God "gives us richly all things to enjoy" (1 Timothy 6:17 NKJV). More than anyone, a Christian can admire and appreciate a beautiful sunset, knowing that God created it.
On the other hand, we are living on earth with a world system that is under the control of the god of this world. And as we get closer to God, we begin to see it for what it is. The Bible describes the world system this way: "For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world" (1 John 5:16 NLT).
It is like the boy who was flying his kite, and as the kite went up higher and higher, he lost sight of it altogether. Someone who saw him holding on to the string asked him what he was doing.
"I'm flying my kite," the boy replied.
"I can't see your kite anywhere. How do you know it is there?"
"I know it is there," he said, "because I can feel its tug."
In the same way, we know there is a heaven because we can feel its tug. We can feel the pull of it, the tug of it in our souls.
And when we begin thinking more about heaven, it can change our perspective, even our affections. As one minister put it, "We need the expulsive power of a new affection." That new affection causes the old ones to be seen for what they are.
May we, like never before, start thinking about and seeking heaven. If we do, our lives on earth will be transformed – for the better.
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