Does Heaven Smell Like Brownies?

Or perhaps it's more like jasmine, or the way an orange orchard smells when the fruit is blooming.

My son once asked me, "If you bounce a ball in Heaven, will it fall out?" What a great question! I liked the fact that he took it forgranted that he would be bouncing a ball.

The other day, my daughter and I were talking about friends and relatives who have gone to Heaven recently. We agreed we missed the people we love but are glad they are happy with Jesus. "Mommy," she said. "Heaven is the best place in the world, right?"

Perhaps she doesn't have the location correct, but she certainly has the right idea.

Some people think Heaven will be boring. I've been asked, "Are we just going to sit around and worship all the time?" But that question reveals more about a lack of enthusiastic worship here on earth than it does about the quality of excitement in the hereafter.

The Bible gives us a few glimpses of Heaven. They are anything but boring. The elders and alien beings do worship, worship, worship. But the scene seems more like the cheering of a great happy host, than a somber, serious place to snooze. Think football stadium rather than quiet cathedral. But the "rock" star on center stage is the Stone that the Builders rejected (Jesus). He's the one who is worthy of our wildest applause.

Don't get me wrong, there is a place for quiet contemplation and serious reverence in our worship. I'm sure we'll experience sensations of God-centered peace and quiet like none we can fathom on earth. But here's my point: the God who created our home on earth is the God who created our home in Heaven.

Speed, excitement, bouncing balls, beautiful sunsets, athletic exersion, color, wind on our faces, gentle mists on warm afternoons, hugs, romance, the aroma of brownies baking in the oven -- all of these where created by God. Why do we expect anything less in Heaven?

Which brings me back to the the five-year-old perspective. Until we get to the real Eternal Home, God give us little glimpses of it here on earth. Every time we stop and take note of his temporary gifts, we have an opportunity to taste a little of what the eternal gifts might be. The Bible says that whereever our treasures are, our heart will also be. If you think about it that way, we carry a bit of Heaven around in our hearts every day.

So, maybe Hannah wasn't so far off after all. Heaven is the best place on earth.

Gettin' Real!,
Melodie