My
definition of heaven was, for years, that it is not a place, but an experience
- the experience, however fleeting, that everything is all right just the way
it is.
This
morning I am reconsidering.
That
definition of heaven still seems true to me. But it seems limited - incomplete –
because it seems passive, as though one must be observing Life from a distance to
experience heaven; and because there are so many events and conditions in Life
which only someone observing it from a great distance could find to be all
right.
So
today I am expanding my definition of heaven.
I still define heaven as an experience, but it is this experience:
That
my connection to the Holy Spirit is as strong, and the quality of my service of
that Spirit is as good and faithful, as by conscious effort I am able to make
them.
To
me this means, for example, that if there is false witness, it will not come
from me.
If
there is dishonor of one’s father and mother, it will not knowingly be by me.
If
there is theft of anyone’s lucre, property, innocence, or dignity, it will not
be by me.
If
there is violence, it will not be from me - or, if it is, it will be to deflect
another’s violence where possible, or to reflect another’s violence, where
necessary to protect an innocent person.
If
I can live up to these values, I feel a peaceful confidence that the experience
of heaven will still sometimes visit me while I am fully engaged in this life.
