do we still grow in heaven?
A SNIPPET OF A DAY INSIDE MY HEAD…
“I wonder what hell is like? Not what it is like, but what would I be like if i were there?
I wonder if Lewis is right, that i would become an eternal horror that i couldn’t imagine in my worst nightmare?
Or what if I was just me as I am today but without the potential to become a better lover of people. (cue the eerie feeling in my stomach).”
Despite what hell is or isnt like, this thought got me thinking about the old theme of absences. Part of what makes hell hell is not just the reality of how things are but the absence of what we long for and the inability to reach it. The potential to live. The potential to love. Simply the absence of potential. The idea that i could be frozen as i am today and never grow any more in heart is actually one of the most torturous thoughts i have ever had.
THIS in turn made me wonder about heaven. I know there I’ll be sinless but will i be static or will there always be room for me to grow in the expanse of my heart for others? Will there always be potential?
October 3, 2008 at 2:55 pm
You stop growing at 8 foot cos all the door frames were set that size by a sub-committee of the arch-angels…
October 12, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Here’s some heavyweight support for your wonderings. Gregory of Nyssa (one of the Cappadocean Fathers) talks about the place of desire in the Christian life in terms of an intense longing which leads to some kind of fulfilment or satisfaction, which in turn only deepens our desire and longing. He suggests that this cycle of desire and fulfilment doesn’t end when this life ends, but continues throughout the next life. Since God is unlimited, there is never any end to the journey of loving and knowing him more. And the desire itself is joyful.
Who knows if he’s right, but it’s an idea I like a lot. Good stuff Transfarmer. You always seem to bark up some interesting trees…
October 24, 2008 at 1:06 pm
Is there free will in heaven?