With Heaven's Eyes

This week has involved a plethora of doctors' appointments. But for once, I'm not going to focus this post on my medical state. (Can you say "YAY!!!?")

I'm going to talk instead, about a book I'm just finishing reading....I'm about a half hour away from finishing it. The book is called "Dominion" and it's by Randy Alcorn, the author of "Heaven". The book is a fictional account of a newspaper columnist who is intent on solving the mystery of who viciously murdered, in gangland style, his sister and niece while they slept. The main characters are all Christians, in varying degrees of intimacy with Yahweh...and half of the book actually takes place in Heaven, where Dani, the murdered sister is now residing.

Not only does the book give the reader a Biblical, yet tradition-blowing perspective on Heaven...it gave me a real challenge in terms of how I am living my life now. Earth is truly the "Land of Opportunity"...If we don't do it here and now; it "ain't gonna get done." The book makes a statement something like, "We have all eternity to celebrate our lives' victories and only a few short years in which to earn them." He also says that every choice, every decision we make impacts our condition in Heaven. This gives a whole new dimension to the level of the importance of our actions, the significance of our words.

It was also an encouragement to me because in his tale, the inhabitants of heaven could look through a "portal" and view events, past and present, which take place on Earth. These events and the people carrying them out are a source of study for Heaven's occupants and a blackboard upon which Yahweh instructs his people and teaches them lessons about Himself. Among the types of people who were viewed and were designated as holy and valuable to Elyon (God) and faithful, were those people who were poor, isolated, and/or disabled who continued in prayer, suffered without cursing Elyon, and did good to those who abused them. These are the nameless and unknown on Earth--and the famous and honored in Heaven. It was fascinating to me to see Earth's values turned upside down and the rewards of those who'd suffered and been ignominious on this planet being honored and considered so special by the Father.

I'll tell you, it makes me very ashamed of myself for griping about my suffering; for feeling worthless and of no significance. We need to start viewing our lives and this Earth with the eyes of Heaven; for Heaven's eyes are on us; and soon, we will be seeing all of that from Heaven's perspective first-hand (at least I HOPE you can be assured of that! If not, please email me and I'd be glad to tell you how you CAN be sure.) If we are faithful in the small, "invisible" ways...the secret areas that no one else may know; this is broadcast in heaven and will bring us great reward when we finally get there.

As Hebrews says (I believe in chapter 12), we are surrounded by such a "cloud of witnesses" and this is cited as a motivation for living a sinless and honorable life in every regard. Folks, nothing we do is secret. Not anything good and not anything bad. Live your life in such a way that your actions can be broadcast on a screen as big as the ones in Times Square, for all of the inhabitants of the world who are in the Kingdom to come to view and learn from. For that is exactly what we are doing!