Is This Heaven?

In the fantasy-drama Field of Dreams, Ray Kinsella heard a mysterious voice whispering from his cornfield: “If you build it, he will come.” In time, Ray realized the voice was calling him to build a baseball field among his rows of cornstalks. When he built the ball field, major-league baseball players from the past miraculously emerged from the remaining cornstalks to play ball.

Ray was surprised to find that one of the players was a 20-something version of his deceased father, John. He’d experienced a falling out with his dad before his death and the two never reconciled.

As they reconnected and began to experience healing in their relationship, John looked around and asked, “Is this heaven?” Ray shook his head and said, “No, it’s Iowa.” John looked around and replied, “Iowa? I could have sworn this was heaven.”

Ray then asked John, “Is there a heaven?” John smiled and said, “Oh yeah. It’s the place where dreams come true.” Pausing to reflect on the dreams coming true all around him, Ray replied, “Maybe this is heaven.”

Ray struggled to grasp that heaven might be in his Iowa cornfield. He couldn’t imagine heaven and earth coming together. But that’s exactly what God has promised to ultimately do: “Bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth (Ephesians 1:10). And He’s saved us to share in His work today (Ephesians 2:10).

Heaven merges with earth when relationships are restored, wrongs are made right, enemies are loved, or the poor are cared for. And when Jesus returns, the world will be freed from death and decay, sorrow and pain (Romans 8:20-21; Revelation 21:1-5).

What we think about heaven affects how we live for God today.

Taken from “Our Daily Journey”