The Kitchen Table

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” ~ Jesus.

From what I've read and heard, Heaven sounds spectacular. It's hard to wrap your head around the splendor. Most people have heard of pearly gates and streets of gold - but I wonder if people ever just sit and ponder the sheer beauty of Heaven. Streets of gold. What does that look like? Each gate is made from one pearl. Either that's a really big pearl or a very small gate. It's more than we can fathom. I don't think in our human-ness we can comprehend just what a glorious place it really is. It's not just clouds with fat, naked cherubs playing harps. It is a real place with real people, real buildings and my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ there with the Father.

The grandeur of Heaven is beyond my mind's imaginaton. I can visualize streets of gold - but only by what I know gold to be. This gold is so pure that it looks as clear as water. Around the golden city are grand, high walls of Jasper, crystal clear and gleaming and adorned with countless numbers of the richest rubies, sapphires, emeralds and every kind of precious stone. Magnificent angels sit atop the 12 open gates of pearl with outstretched wings as far as the eyes can see and bands of angels everywhere you look to welcome the saints. The most fragrant flowers, a light dusting of sparkle everywhere, sweet music of praise fills the air and every corner is set aglow by the light of the Precious Lamb.

According to Revelation 22, the Garden of Eden will be there, fully restored, as "...the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city." And there at the mouth of the river, alongside the tree of life sits our Savior, our Father God and the saints casting their crowns at the feet of Jesus. I try to imagine the most wonderous scene and then multiply that by higher than numbers can reach - and then it might scrape the surface of how good and lovely Heaven is.

Reading Revelation gives us an exquisite peek into the awe-struck wonder of Heaven. But as incredible as all that sounds, for me - I believe Heaven holds even more than that! There's a kitchen table in Heaven and it's set with brown-ware dishes. There's chicken-shaped set of salt and pepper shakers and a napkin holder at one end. Around the table are ladder-back chairs with rush seats and a homely patina on the older wood. There are knick-knacks in the kitchen and charming, albeit a little dated, wallpaper on the walls. It smells like breakfast - good, country breakfast and it's as inviting as you could imagine. The coffee is hot and the conversation is interesting. Things are as good as they can be in this little 'room' inside my father's house. Sitting in the chairs around the table, my grandmother is there, my aunt Ne-ne and Lynn. There's laugher, love, family and every good thing. All beautiful and well in their restored bodies and they are praising their savior together. My brother is standing behind Maw, probably picking up little bites of food so anxious to eat some home-cooking even before it's ready! Timmy's there with NeNe and Darrell's by the stove cooking the meal. Just over in the next room Doug is sitting in the rocking chair listening to my daddy play "Just a Closer Walk With Thee". When I think "Heaven" it's the scene I mostly see.

But something has changed lately in my sweet vision of Eternity. I never noticed before but now by the table there's an empty chair. My beautiful family is making plans for a homecoming. They've put on more coffee and set another place. They are rejoicing in the good news of my sweet mother's salvation and are ready to welcome their sister, their wife, their daughter, their mother home. Soon my mother will be at the feet of her Savior and in the arms of her beloved family. And there is no place on Earth she would rather be.

I'm by my mother's bedside. Her breathing has slowed and it's short time now. I've told her that Matthew and I will be fine. I thanked her for being the best mother and grandmother anyone could be blessed with - and I was happy she was mine. I'm sad for me but I'm excited for her. The end of this life is just the door that opens to the little kitchen table. And so she'll go before me and then one day she will set a place for me. And we can cast our crowns at Jesus' feet and stand in His glory forever together as family.