A Taste Of Heaven

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

What a wonderful time of year spring is! As the snow melts and the days get longer, we smell a refreshing change in the air, and enjoy relief from the cold of winter. Crocuses appear, then other early flowers like daffodils and tulips. We start opening windows, and hearing the songs of birds once more. (The winter snow has a beauty of its own, but it brings many challenges.) Now, instead of snow, the spring rains come. The grass begins to grow, and the trees begin to bud. A lovely fragrance lingers in the air.

We feel new freedom as we shed heavy winter coats and boots, and can leave our homes wearing light jackets or sweaters. Walking is easier and more pleasant. And we’re able to visit with friends and neighbours. Greetings in the street can be more than a quick word spoken before we scurry to a warmer place inside.

How special it is that we celebrate Easter during this season of hope, with its opportunities to enjoy God’s creation We praise Him for rebirth in Christ. The new life around us, of vegetation, and of animals and birds with their young, reminds us of the resurrection of our Saviour. I really think this burst of vitality gives us a taste of what is yet to come in God’s perfect plan. Then, as the Bible says, “Creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay” (Romans 8:21).

We may not think of this consciously all the time. But for those of us who have much pain, physical or emotional, our hearts ache for the day when we’ll be with our loving Saviour in heaven. This longing intensifies as time goes on. His Word makes it clear that His children are just pilgrims passing through a fallen world to our eternal home. And God has placed “eternity in our hearts.”  As the Apostle Paul put it, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Beth Cottrill lives in a small town in rural Saskatchewan, Canada, with her recently retired pastor/teacher husband, Bob. She finds living with Attention Deficit Disorder, osteo-arthritis and a stroke of several years ago a challenge, but also training for a ministry to others. This couple have one child, a dear son, a special daughter-in-law, who with their two wonderful young children are living in Mexico, preparing for a church planting ministry.