It’s been two and a half years since my dad passed away. It’s difficult to put into words what you feel when you lose a parent. I felt grief, of course. But also, there is this feeling that everything is less sure and less secure than it used to be. For me, my dad was a constant in my life, steadfast and even-tempered. He was the most kind and patient person I’ve ever known.
I’ve had to navigate this balance of managing my grief while making sure my two small children (ages four and one) know stories and pictures of their Grandpa Lonny. As a result, my oldest son Jonah has asked me a lot of questions about death. And they don’t always come at opportune times. One day, after a long morning at church, we ran to the grocery store on our way home. As we were in the checkout line, he asked, “Mommy, where is heaven?” In the midst of checking out our groceries while wrangling two squirmy boys, I didn’t have a great answer for him. I was on the spot and said something like, “I’m not really sure.” And he asked, “Is it far?” “It feels far sometimes,” I said. That seemed to resonate
with him.
So, where is heaven? Every major religion describes it, whether it is the Good Kingdom of Hinduism, Jannah (Paradise) of Islam, or various other names and descriptions. Now, I’m not a Biblical scholar by any means, but my understanding of the Bible’s description of heaven is that it is a place where there is no pain, no evil. A place where we are at one with God and can be in unity with those around us.
Every week, we pray the Lord’s Prayer in worship, which ends with, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Here, Jesus teaches us an important key to our life here on earth: make it more like heaven. Heaven doesn’t have to feel so far away, as long as we are working to make our home here on earth as close to heaven as possible.
As we journey through this Lenten season, I invite you to think of ways you can make our earth more like heaven. Show kindness to others. Relieve the pain of those who are suffering or in need. Share God’s love with others and help them to know they are not alone. Learn more about our world and the people in it, and work to restore relationships, both with the people around us and with God. To see if we can make heaven feel a little less far away.
Candace Fish, Edmond Campus Director of Traditional Worship
