a glimpse of heaven

That's a powerful title for this post, isn't it?

I mean, we're talking about heaven... REDEMPTIVE stuff... the full realization of all that we are and all of who God is.

What might this post be about?

Occasionally I get glimpses of heaven in the way you might typically think. For instance, I heard my neighbor share his story when our church gathered today. Sitting there, listening to how God is at work in his life and how he hopes our church might be a part of that, is pretty incredible. Quite humbling, in fact.

Or there are those times when I see my family live out their faith... my wife choosing to humble herself through an act of service that ripples into my life and many others.... my oldest son choosing to pray for countries as well as his own city while we get ready to eat some Fruity Cheerios... my youngest son learning what it means to go first by going last, allowing others to be blessed instead of just demanding his own way.

Sometimes I get to be a direct part of it... a thought I might share that seems to bless others... some element I put into a church service to honor the Creator and His people... helping my neighbors get their computer working while we talk about life and God... picking up a piece of trash in order to clean up God's world... building a relationship with a stranger in order to warm their hearts to Jesus Christ.

I get all of that.

Yesterday, though, it really hit me that we can gain a glimpse of heaven in a very trivial way.

I grew up in the Chicago area, and so one thing I often miss is the good food. Recently I found out there is a restaurant close by that makes "Italian Beef," something that is near impossible to find outside of Chicago.

Then there's that whole "Baker's Square" thing - when we moved here we found out there's a Baker's Square in town that makes my wife's favorite carrot cake in all the world.

Finally, I was driving around yesterday and saw this has just opened in our town...



I mean, come on! God is GOOD! Not only do I get to be a part of His kingdom building efforts in this area, but I get to drink SMOOTHIES from the place that makes them best!

Talk about having your (carrot) cake over an Italian Beef and drinking it, too!

Does God care about this stuff? Maybe not.

Or maybe He does... maybe He's that good and looks for ways for us to uncover His grand blessing in very simple ways. And maybe when we find it it's like a little glimpse of heaven.

Maybe?