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The second recurring picture

If my room is the place where I meet Christ in times when I want to be close to Him, then my view of Heaven is where I go to worship.

To me, Heaven is something I need to be able to picture. I know that I'm not even close on the details and flat wrong on many, many things. But to me that's less important than what I do when I'm there. And to do that, my limited mind needs a framework.

There is, of course, the throne of God. Seated on His right is Jesus. (That's my left - I can't tell you how many years I couldn't figure that one out. Yes, I'm right-left challenged.) On His left is the Holy Spirit. What does God look like? That one changes from moment to moment, sometimes right before my eyes. The one thing that never changes about God: He always has a lap.

Jesus is the same as He is in my room. And the Holy Spirit - He's an ever-changing, colorful cloud-ish gaseous being. Maybe that's because I've not put a lot of thought in that aspect of God. But it works for now.

Behind God are the 4 living creatures and the elders. In my mind's eye, the 4 living creatures are how Madeleine L'Engle described Progo - all wings and eyes. Somewhere I have a drawing I created that looked exactly like that in an abstract way. If I find it, I'll upload it. The elders are people.

And filling - over-filling - the entire place are my brothers and sisters - people from every place on earth, every time, in every color. But honestly, I hardly notice them.

My picture of heaven got an upgrade in church today. In the past, it's always been flat - almost as far as the eye can see. But today it became an amphitheater with God as the center of attention.

At the top of the amphitheater - around the back edge - are columns. They have bases that are wide and square and stand up about 3 feet tall. And that's where you'll find me most of the time - hanging out by the columns. In heaven I'm always a child so being able to stand on the bases of the columns is a good thing.

Imagine it. Imagine being able to worship with people from around the world. Have you ever stopped to listen to the people around you at your church worshiping God? I've been overwhelmed by the sound myself. No imagine that multiplied a hundred, a thousand, a million times. I can't wait.

So I mentioned that I'm a child. Specifically it's a cross between a picture I have of myself at about 4 looking for easter eggs with my mom and the fairy sitting on the lap of the old man that I got at the Portland Saturday Market several years ago. It's me uninhibited, without the expectations and restraints I've grown into over the years. And as a child, I'm free to worship with all of me.

Sometimes I bow. Sometimes I stretch on my tippie toes and sing my lungs out. Sometimes I fly a dance. Sometimes I dive on to Papa's lap and cuddle up. Me and Him. Him and me. It's all about Him and not about me. That's worship. That's heaven in my mind's eye.
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