Recently, I had the most wonderful experience of gathering together my whole family for my youngest son’s 40^th birthday.  Several years ago, all my sons and two of their wives, at the time, and one fiancée were all together in my home for a holiday.  But since all have married and given me six grandchildren, we had never been together as a family.  Some of the grandchildren had never even seen each other before.  We got to spend three glorious days in a beach house right on the beach in Destin, FL.  When Liam, my four year-old grandson who had never even seen his Georgia-cousins before, saw us all hauling our suitcases into the same place, and realized that all fourteen of us would be staying together in the same house, he was overwhelmed.  He looked around, and filled with excitement and joy he exclaimed, “Look Mammie, we are all going to sleep together!  Isn’t that crazy?!”  And I answered him, “Crazy – wonderful!”  He squealed, “Yes!” – and ran to give me a hug.

You know where I’m going with this . . .   One of these days – mmm-hmmm! – one of these days, the Father is going to gather all of us together who have followed Him into His one wonderful ‘House’.  Not so crazy.  But my reasoning from time to time throughout my life for wanting to go ‘Home’ has been a little crazy.

I think of the various times I have been really sick or had a serious injury and prayed, “Lord, just take me Home” – of the times I have been hurt deeply by a friend or family member and I prayed, “Oh, Lord!  Just take me home”.  I remember of being humiliated from making a horrendous mistake on a piano solo or forgetting the words to a song.  How I longed to just disappear.  Go Home.   And when loved ones died, I begged God to take me Home.

I’m not sure that any of those reasons I just mentioned should be the right motivation for wanting to go to Heaven, but at the time, being human, it’s where my thoughts went.  Certainly, the Scripture says that in Heaven there will be no more mourning or tears or pain (Revelation 21.4).  And, we will be rejoined with loved ones who have gone before us (I Thessalonians 4.17, Matthew 8.11, II Samuel 12.23).  There is a feast being prepared for us (Luke 14.15) – and Jesus, Himself is preparing a place for us (John 14.2).  We can’t even imagine what the Master Designer has waiting for us!  And I really can’t imagine this one:  “But we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.”  (I John 3.2)  Be like Jesus?!

There’s a worship song called ‘I Can Only Imagine’.  Some of the words from the song concerning arriving in Heaven by the lyricist are –

‘Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel?  Will I dance for You Jesus, or in awe of You be still?  Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall?  Will I sing ‘Hallelujah’?  Will I be able to speak at all?  I can only imagine . . . ‘ 

Scripture upon Scripture upon Scripture seems to best support the line from the song – ‘to my knees will I fall’.  From Old Testament Scripture (Genesis, I Kings, Nehemiah, the Psalms, the Prophets) throughout the New Testament (the Gospels through to Revelation), the O.T. fathers, the kings, saints, martyrs and angels bowed before the LORD.  Somehow, I’m thinking that I will be in such awe of the One Who created me, saved me, grew me, sustained me and loved me enough to die for me, that I will lie prostrate before Him – bowing before my Jesus.

At some point, I’m sure I will rise – and looking around me seeing all the family of God I’ll exclaim, “Look Jesus, we are all going to sleep (work, worship, fellowship – and I don’t know what-all) together!  Isn’t that crazy?!”  And He will answer, “Crazy – wonderful!”  And I will run to Him and hug Him.  Can’t wait!

The Mattera Family