When it comes to our time in Heaven, I love to rove through fanciful possibilities of the sweet joys awaiting the followers of Jesus.
Recently, I contemplated a somewhat unorthodox possibility that involved the fusion of math and imagination. Consider:
If “a thousand years are like a day to the Lord” (2 Peter 3:8), then, if the ratio holds, just over forty years our time would equal one hour to God (go ahead and test the math if you’d like). Now, I realize God transcends time. And I remind those who might mistake this for a doctrinal position that I’m simply exploring a satisfying possibility.
So back to my reckoning. I like to imagine when a loved one—say my deceased and very adored granddad—proceeds me into Heaven by forty years, it will seem but an hour to him, roughly the time it takes to enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee with a good friend on planet Earth.
I’m aware that time increments from my granddad’s side of eternity are not necessarily a realized circumstance. Even if they are, they’re not likely processed the same way. For that matter, free from the ache of time, he may not have a category to miss me at all. Still, to my way of thinking, there’s a salient point to all this:
Even if we grant that the math side of the equation fails to meaningfully penetrate the concept of eternity, the human imagination has no such limitation.
And in my imagination, on that heaven-sent day when my time is up, God will embrace me as His long lost son, my granddad will laugh familiarly as if I saw him yesterday, and the reunion, by all realms of measure, will be exceedingly sweet.
I hope this encourages you to imagine Heaven today.
Kevin Murray
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