Have you ever wondered what heaven is like? We hear talk of angels, harps, and people endlessly singing praises to God, but what does it feel like to be in the presence of our Father?
When we come home to the smell of freshly baked bread, when we experience the giddy feeling of a newly discovered love, when we lie on the grass and feel the gentle warmth of the sun sink into our skin we describe it as heavenly. Why? The word heavenly may also be applied to being surrounded by close friends and family, to receiving comfort in a time of need, and to receiving answers to our prayers. Why? I believe these things give us a taste of heaven; that they remind us of our pre-mortal home or break down for a moment the wall between our world and the realm of God. C. S. Lewis' captured this sensation in his autobiography "Surprised by Joy". He terms these moments as Joy--experiences that give us a sense of something beyond this world. These experiences create a longing within us that hurts but is simultaneously fulfilling and beautiful. Joy is an interesting thing because although we can put ourselves in situations that remind us of moments of Joy, we cannot command Joy to be present (Lewis 1955, 17-18). Moments of Joy are gifts from God that remind us that this world is not our permanent home, that we shouldn't get too comfortable here, and that motivate us to strive to be fit for the world to come. These tastes of heaven are a special reminder that God is aware of each of us and that life, in spite of its hardships, can be a beautiful, enlightening, and Joyful experience.
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