Isn’t it amazing how little thought we give to paradise?
First…….. what is paradise?
Fluffy clouds? Halos and harps? A tropical garden?
If you take nothing else from this post, know this: Paradise is normal. Paradise is God’s first plan for you. He built a perfect, sustainable ecosystem and put us in it…. and then….HE joined us there. It was great….it was, in fact, perfect……..but we mismanaged it. We still mismanage it.
Most of the world that we see every day is the work of man. This world…..the world we have built……… is abnormal. No wonder we are unhappy. No wonder we are dissatisfied. We try hard. We sense God’s original design in our hearts but as a community, what we build falls short. The world that we live in is broken and we know it….. no doubt it is a disappointment to God. He wants so much more for us.
I have to think that Eden is the pattern for paradise. Beyond that I wouldn’t speculate on the details. However, the key feature of paradise is that there will be a close relationship between God and man. We will see him, talk with him, visit with him……enjoy his company. We will be surrounded by his love and his generosity. I don’t worry too much about the rest of it. Will there be poison ivy? What about my favorite food? Will my dog be there? Will my family & friends be there?………… OK, I do worry a bit about that.
I suspect that the Garden of Eden in Genesis is at least partly symbolic. I don’t claim to know the details of what heaven will be like. The general shape of God’s original plan for you is a place where all of your needs are met. There will be no hazards. The things that you sense in your heart to be evil just won’t be there. That will be the new normal. God the father, your creator, will be very close…… you will be at peace, at rest………….and you will be satisfied……….because you will be where you belong. You will finally …… for the first time………be in THE place that is NORMAL for you. You will be in the place that God made you for………. the place that God made for you.