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Cal's Pastoral Epistles
A View Of Heaven
May 25, 2007
My wife, Lori, is in heaven today. No she didn’t die but she did realize her
greatest hope. She has been dreaming of owning a Victorian era home
since we moved to Norwich twenty-two years ago. To her delight we
moved across town into a home that was built in 1876 this week. My
daughter, the new graduate with her degree in history, tells me that our
country was having a year long centennial celebration when this home was
built. In that same year, the National Baseball League was founded and
Alexander Graham Bell introduced the telephone at the World’s Fair. Now
that’s old.
For the last two weeks we have been packing and preparing for the move.
We scrounged around for boxes and filled them up as fast as we could
find them. As we got closer to the move, our living room became the
repository of all the efforts. Before long we couldn’t even move because
boxes and furniture were piled to the ceiling. The depressing part was that
we hadn’t even tackled three of the bedrooms and the basement.
You go through life and you collect so much stuff that when it comes time
to pack it up and go, the process becomes painful. On Tuesday Lori had to
go to work and I was the lucky one who got to pack the truck. I began
loading and by the end of the day I was worn out already. On Wednesday
I had some help. Four guys came along and we managed to move
everything out of our old house and onto two U-haul trucks in seven
hours. While the guys were hauling stuff out, I kept packing. It seemed
like it would never end. Every time I turned around, I found something
else to pack. I couldn’t believe how much we had accumulated living in
that house for thirteen years.
I can tell you it is not easy to get into heaven. I started questioning the
sanity of this move half way through, but we were already committed. It
was our destiny. So I just decided to grit it out and go for the ride.
Sometimes that is all you can do.
As we woke up on Thursday morning we were on the back stretch. The
day would be hard but by nightfall we would be in. That kept me going. I
kept envisioning Lori and the girls with their corner of heaven and it
brought a smile to my face. The truth is that whenever we think of heaven
it gives us hope, especially in the midst of our trials here on earth.
I think that is why God gives us a glimpse of heaven in the scriptures. He
knows that life can be hard. He knows that illness and physical death can
be extremely traumatic. So he has given us a look at our future. He has
called us to look to him and we will find what we need to live every day
until he calls us home. So grab a bit of heaven today and take comfort in
the fact God loves you and has prepared a place for all who call him Lord.
Let it give you strength to face the trials of today and the challenges of
tomorrow.
God bless. See you in church. Cal
May 25, 2007
My wife, Lori, is in heaven today. No she didn’t die but she did realize her
greatest hope. She has been dreaming of owning a Victorian era home
since we moved to Norwich twenty-two years ago. To her delight we
moved across town into a home that was built in 1876 this week. My
daughter, the new graduate with her degree in history, tells me that our
country was having a year long centennial celebration when this home was
built. In that same year, the National Baseball League was founded and
Alexander Graham Bell introduced the telephone at the World’s Fair. Now
that’s old.
For the last two weeks we have been packing and preparing for the move.
We scrounged around for boxes and filled them up as fast as we could
find them. As we got closer to the move, our living room became the
repository of all the efforts. Before long we couldn’t even move because
boxes and furniture were piled to the ceiling. The depressing part was that
we hadn’t even tackled three of the bedrooms and the basement.
You go through life and you collect so much stuff that when it comes time
to pack it up and go, the process becomes painful. On Tuesday Lori had to
go to work and I was the lucky one who got to pack the truck. I began
loading and by the end of the day I was worn out already. On Wednesday
I had some help. Four guys came along and we managed to move
everything out of our old house and onto two U-haul trucks in seven
hours. While the guys were hauling stuff out, I kept packing. It seemed
like it would never end. Every time I turned around, I found something
else to pack. I couldn’t believe how much we had accumulated living in
that house for thirteen years.
I can tell you it is not easy to get into heaven. I started questioning the
sanity of this move half way through, but we were already committed. It
was our destiny. So I just decided to grit it out and go for the ride.
Sometimes that is all you can do.
As we woke up on Thursday morning we were on the back stretch. The
day would be hard but by nightfall we would be in. That kept me going. I
kept envisioning Lori and the girls with their corner of heaven and it
brought a smile to my face. The truth is that whenever we think of heaven
it gives us hope, especially in the midst of our trials here on earth.
I think that is why God gives us a glimpse of heaven in the scriptures. He
knows that life can be hard. He knows that illness and physical death can
be extremely traumatic. So he has given us a look at our future. He has
called us to look to him and we will find what we need to live every day
until he calls us home. So grab a bit of heaven today and take comfort in
the fact God loves you and has prepared a place for all who call him Lord.
Let it give you strength to face the trials of today and the challenges of
tomorrow.
God bless. See you in church. Cal
Pastor Cal Lord writes these weekly epistles to
help us see God in every day things.
help us see God in every day things.
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