Growing up in a Christian home, I was always told that you should want to go to heaven when you die. As a child, I couldn’t possibly comprehend what that meant, but I get it now that I’m older. When each sunset brings me a day closer to a journey into eternity, I take the hope of an afterlife seriously.
When my dad passed away nearly eight years ago, heaven seemed much nearer than ever. I think about it regularly and wonder what it will be like and my perspective on the subject has matured over the past few years. Since we can’t really know all heaven is until we get there, I can only speculate. Please join me in a few of these speculations.
An Uninspired Perspective
I have to start here because most of us do. If you’ve ever read the works of Mark Twain, you’ll quickly discover his snarky skepticism toward religion and all things spiritual emanating somewhere amongst the pages. Even his quintessential character, Huck Finn, shrugs off eternal destiny as if it were a choice between chocolate or vanilla cake. If you get your theology from these books, there’s nothing to worry about. And possibly, you might prefer the bad place over the good.
I’ve definitely viewed eternity in heaven through an uninspired lens. Sure, heaven means no pain, problems, or sin, but can anyone really describe living without those three issues? With my limited imagination, it somehow seems like living without those things will be tedious and boring.
What will we do with all our perfection anyway? I’m just not that into playing harps, sipping iced tea, and floating on clouds. You?
But after some time, I consider the alternative — falling fire forever. It’s better to be bored than burnt.
An Introvert’s Perspective
As an introvert, I can’t think of anything more exhausting and anxiety-inducing than going to a place where tons of strangers are gathered. Typically, when I enter a crowded room, I’m devising a means of escape. A polite escape, of course, but escape nonetheless.
The description of heaven as a gathering place of multitudes from around the world does not sound like paradise to me. So, I conclude that heaven is not for me or other introverts.
I guess God only loves extroverts.
A Conflicted Perspective
There’s been a lot of personal conflicts in my life. I’m sure you can relate. I’ve hurt people — people have hurt me. All this conflict makes me unsure if I can endure bumping into certain people at the grocery store, let alone spend eternity with them.
Can you picture walking down a path in paradise with that woman from the bookstore who said every hurtful and cursed word she could think of before storming out? What about that person you cursed, slandered, or shunned?
Now you’re neighbors … for eternity!
Can heaven really be heaven when we are all so hurt? It makes me wonder. Perhaps God promised too much and he won’t be able to come through.
Putting It All Into Perspective
You may have noticed that all three of the above perspectives lacked real support or evidence. Mostly, they are the opinions of a naïve girl. But, as problematic as they are, they have been my real perspectives and opinions.
However, these distorted perspectives are no longer mine. Because I’ve taken the time to look at what Scripture says about eternity, I can be excited about it. As I said earlier, it is very limited, but there is enough written about eternity to encourage and inspire us.
I Will Find True Purpose There
Where do I begin with this one? I’m going to make a disclaimer that there is actually plenty of evidence found within Scripture to counter my Uninspired Perspective but I will not be able to present it all here and now. Here are three Scriptures that shed some light on the issue of boredom in eternity.
- I Corinthians 3:4–15 gives us some insight into eternal rewards and losses. Heaven has something to offer us and it is worth living for today.
- The Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25 & Luke 19 reiterates the concept of eternal gain and loss, the reality of a future structured system of ruling, and the view that Ephesians 2:10 is something to ponder and respond to today.
- Paul implied in Philippians that to be with Christ in heaven was far better than anything on earth.
I guess Huck Finn was wrong about the good place.
I Will Be Comfortable There
Okay, if God created me uniquely and created me with a purpose, I think he probably likes me as an introvert. In fact, I think he probably prefers that I embrace that bit of my personality. If that is how he views me and wants me to live today, why would he make me miserable in eternity?
I don’t know how, but because I have learned a bit about his heart, I’m confident that heaven will be a place of comfort even for my introverted personality. And, quite possibly worshipping Christ with millions of other believers for eternity will be more fulfilling and comforting than I can imagine. If you have ever attended a beautiful worship service or sat around a table for long hours with friends, you know how wonderful companionship can be. In heaven, it will be more so.
I Will Be Wanted There…as Will Everyone Else
You’ve probably heard the statement that “the apostle Paul entered heaven to the cheers of those he martyred...” If this is true of him, this is true of everyone. Every person we hurt will be happy to greet us at heaven’s gates. Every person who hurt us will hear us shouting a brilliant welcome to them as they enter heaven. If you doubt the possibility of this happening, consider this:
- Stephen prayed for God to forgive his murderers in Acts 7:60. He didn’t even have to enter heaven to wish his enemies the peace of God. And, two chapters later you get to see Stephen’s prayer answered. I think Stephen probably led all the martyrs to greet Paul upon his entry into heaven.
- You could also consider the story of Lazarus and the rich man found in Luke 16. It didn’t matter how much the rich man had shunned Lazarus, he was not too ashamed to wish he could be in paradise instead of hell.
- The biggest counterargument I can think of for my Conflicted Perspective is Jesus. He wants me in heaven. He wants everyone in heaven. Even though we have been or currently are his enemies, he wants us all there so badly. It doesn’t matter one iota what anyone else thinks of us or wants for us, just him. I trust that he is enough for the healing of all conflict for all eternity (and for now too).
A Counter Perspective
My hope is that this article gives you some things to ponder about your eternal future. Perhaps you have struggled with a bad perspective of heaven or haven’t considered it at all. Either way, this is a good time to begin a change of perspective.
If you’ve been encouraged and inspired by this article, may I suggest you continue your study on heaven by diving into these resources:
- Heaven by Randy Alcorn
- Living on the Edge podcasts by Chip Ingram
- 7 Surprising Things We Will Do in Heaven by Allen Parr
