Heaven on My Mind- Heaven in my Heart

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Do you ever wish you could be in two places at once? I wrestle with that all the time. Not just daydreaming of all the places I long to travel to, but more so be with the people I love the most. I sure wish our family could live in one place! With home base for Tim and I (and two of our girls and their families) in Saskatoon, SK, two of our girls on Vancouver Island, Tim's extended family in Manitoba and all of my family of origin in Minnesota, North Dakota and other states... We do what we can to visit in person and online. Bonus is, we do love to travel and explore!

I wonder if that is what heaven will be like. Where time and space cannot dictate where or how we travel or when we are all together- friends, family, loved ones. We can be with one another in a blink of an eye- besides a breathtaking ocean in Hawaii, walking through wide booming oak trees in Minnesota, breathing in the fresh rainforest air in Tofino or picking all the fragrant blooms in Victoria at any moment. A cool concept to ponder.

Pondering Heaven’s Promises

I have pondered lots about heaven since I was a little girl. When playing outside on our acreage in Northern Minnesota, I’d have an active imagination and look up to the skies and wonder if God was really real. I’d hear about heaven and wondered what was it like. I wrestled with the concept for years if I had a hope of even going there.

Been reading and reflecting on it more so this past decade. There is no other topic I can think of that can awaken our child-like imagination than to ponder the possibilities of heaven. No doubt we experience a little bit of heaven on earth now as well as witness or experience a little bit of "hell" too. It's fascinating learning what various cultural or religious perspectives are on this topic throughout the ages. For me? Christ Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. I have experienced too many "resurrection stories" of the soul to believe otherwise.

Other than the Bible, the first book that ministered to my soul on the theme of heaven was when I was 27 years old. It was given to me by a woman in my local church after I shared my faith story of healing, deliverance and restoration for the first time publicly. I was sharing at my mom’s group that morning on multiple issues and emotions I was facing: Loneliness, regret, shame, fear etc. God met me through a supernatural prayer experience in January 1996 as He spoke to my heart. As I shared this experience with the women, there was a ton of tears were shed no doubt! Part of my story involves the loss of a child. She said that she appreciated my story, but sensed I was still carrying deep grief and offered a book for me to read. She said it helped her grive deeply the loss of a child that never got to grace this world. I have recommended it to many since. It’s called:

"I'll Hold You in Heaven: Healing and Hope for the Parent Who Has Lost a Child Through Miscarriage, Stillbirth, Abortion or Early Infant Loss" By Jack Hayford.

"There are few things that shake people deeper to their roots of emotion than the loss of a child. Jack Hayford's best-selling book, "I'll Hold You in Heaven," speaks to the hearts of parents who have lost a child through miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion, or early infant death. Pastor Jack provides compassionate, biblical answers to the troubling questions and brings scriptural understanding and hope to readers, while offering tender help regarding what actions parents can take."

Theologically speaking- it blew my mind and continues to do so. Waves of mercy, waves of grace. Heaven is on my mind most days now. Why? Because I know I have a deposit of heaven in my heart. Thankful for Jesus for who He is, what He’s done for me, and His ongoing clarion message to the world. I appreciate the video from the the Bible Project as they share in their video to learn Where Heaven and Earth overlap as it conveys, “these are not always separate spaces.”

Click here to see more at the Bible Projects with a study guide and notes to learn more.

Until that day when I take my final breath, my heart is to pray His prayer (aka the Lord's prayer), meditating about its message. "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."(Matthew 6:10)

*Check out my playlist on Youtube on the Lord’s Prayer! First one featured is “Yours is the Glory Forever” with my friend in ministry Kelly B. Wiens with Firerunner Music with roots in Saskatchewan where we met in the 90’s. We served together on a provincial worship team for our denomination at the time. We’ve stayed connected through the years as our families grew and ministry hats changed. He was one of the founding members of Hope Restored Canada. One of the ways he poured into HRC with me at the time of our launch was developing a prayer guide to address issues of injustice (like Sex Trafficking and Exploitation) with his wife Lani utilizing the Lord’s Prayer as an outline. He has since moved to Manitoba where he is based. The song above “Yours in the Glory” speaks deeply to my heart. I pray that this song and the other resources mentioned inspire you to set your mind on “things above” (Colossians 3:2-10). My prayer for me and you dear reader? That heaven can take up more space in your mind and heart.

Recommended Resources on Heaven:

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ”
— Colossians 3:2