Unimagined Beauty
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him."1
I have read how, when William Montague Dyke was a child, he was blinded in an accident, but he never allowed this handicap to deter him. He graduated with high honors from an English university and, while a student, fell in love with the daughter of a high-ranking British naval office whom he was to marry.
Before the wedding he had an eye operation in the hopes that it would restore his eyesight. However, he didn't want the bandages removed from his eyes until his wedding day when he stood before his bride to be. If the surgery failed, he would remain blind for the rest of his life. If successful, the person he wanted to see first was to be his bride.
The wedding day arrived. The dignitaries and guests waited in anticipation as the organ played the wedding march and the bride, accompanied by her father and the groom's surgeon, slowly walked the aisle to the altar. As William's sweetheart stood before him, the surgeon took a pair of scissors from his pocket and removed the bandages.
The entire party and all the guests held their breath for a brief moment until they heard the words of William which echoed throughout the cathedral as he said to his soon-to-be bride, "You're more beautiful than I ever imagined!"2
In one sense this gives us a faint glimpse as to what it will be like when we get to heaven and stand face to face with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. When we see him in all his majestic beautyâ€"the God of all creationâ€"no words this side of heaven could ever describe, nor any imagination ever perceive, what this experience will be like. As a hymn we used to sing with great enthusiasm in my childhood days expressed it, "When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be. When we all see Jesus, we'll sing and shout the victory!"
Just make sure that your name is written in God's book of life and that you, too, are on your way to heaven. For help be sure to read, "How to know God and be sure you're a real Christian" at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian.
Suggested prayer: "Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your wonderful promise that you are preparing a place for all who believe in your Son, Jesus, and have accepted him as their personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for the forgiveness of sins we have in Jesus and the hope of one day being in Heaven with you. I can only imagine what it will be like. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. In Jesus' name, amen."
1. 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV).
2. Adapted from Making Today Count for Eternity, by Ken Crockett. Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers, 2001, pp. 101-102. Cited on http://www.sermons.com/.
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