WILL YOU MISS YOUR FREEWILL IN HEAVEN?

Though you may have a boss where you work, when you leave the workplace you can do what you want. You still have to obey the law of course or suffer the consequences. Much freedom is yours if you live in a democracy. We take our freedom for granted.

I started thinking how different it might be in Heaven. God is in charge there and we may not be able to do just what we want. While He is also in charge on earth, He lets us make mistakes and wander around within the big boundary called freewill. Here we can decide to go to the store or out into the countryside, see a movie, or stay home and read or watch TV. How much will it be like this in Heaven?

Possibly a very poor simile of earth and Heaven is when we trade in our dependable automobile for a newer model. We grew to know just what to expect with the old car, and only time will tell if we will truly enjoy the new one. I always found that some of the new features were great, but also that some features were not quite as handy or as useful as with the older model. I am sure though that the new model, Heaven that is, will have no flaws, just wonderful features.

But this may be why some Christians are not anxious to leave this earth. There is often fear of the unknown. People worry that their comfortable life will be upset. I admit that at times I have just a tinge of such thoughts. God has created a beautiful place for us to live. But even with the great life the Lord has given me, my faith tells me that Heaven will be so much better that I will never want anything else. “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11. Not a single promise of God has ever been found to be untrue, so there is no reason to doubt God’s guarantee of total satisfaction in Heaven. If you long for total satisfaction in this life but have not found it, God’s Word assures us that Heaven will satisfy forever.

There is another reason for not wanting to hang on to earthly life. Reading the paper or watching the TV is not the joy it once was. Everywhere there is so much evil and hardship. As I write, one-quarter of the land in Pakistan is under water. More than twenty million residents need help. People in Haiti and Chili are still suffering from the after affects of natural disasters. In other countries, political and religious strife has left many homeless or dead. Near some of our own neighborhoods crime is rampant. So any thoughts I might have of staying here a while longer make no sense to me anymore. Each time I read of one more tragedy, I just want the Lord to come right now and fix the problems. He can and He is the only one who can right the wrongs of this world.

We have been told by Christ that Heaven is a place of love and that He has prepared so many things for our enjoyment. There will be no shortage of things to do. But how much will we be on our own to enjoy what we want, or just sit around? I don’t know the answer, but I guess I don’t really have to know. Perhaps I will miss my almost complete freedom to do whatever I choose. When I think of certain activities that I can participate in, perhaps some of them will be missed. But I will find plenty to do in Heaven and perhaps find ways help the Lord.

From the book “Heaven Is So Real”, we learn that Jesus anticipated all our needs and provided everything for our use and enjoyment in Heaven. It will be a place of continual worship and love. We can wander around in it while still expressing our love for Him. I can hardly wait to be there, without having to know all the features that will be encountered. Some writers have speculated that it will take forever to completely grasp all the joys of Heaven, but that is OK as we will have an eternity to do it. Even a lesser Heaven than the glorious one envisioned would be a million times better than hell. So come Lord Jesus!