The Ultimate Dreamland

Do you have a dream or have you ever had one?

As humans, all of us have dreams or have entertained one at some stage in our lives. All of us aspire to be better. We want to be richer, taller, prettier, healthier, gentler, sweeter, kinder, more loving, more tender, more generous.

No one, in their right senses, wants to be poorer, uglier, shorter, more cruel, sicker. Poor people and their nations aspire to get out of the dire straits.

Ever wonder why millions want to immigrate to America every year? American culture has conquered the world. It permeates the fabric of the entire universe. Ask movie generation kids who their heroes are and they'll tell you they are the American movie, TV and music stars. I have asked Taiwanese teenagers where they'd love to live if they had the choice. America, 90% of them tell me.

Americans are pretty, they say. Their homes, their rose-colored lifestyles, yachts, technology, even art are the envy of many, young and old alike, around the world. No wonder millions scramble for US visas every year.

Many parts of the world are equally beautiful. Europe is spectacular both in terms of natural beauty and man-made structures. But beauty is not confined to North America and Europe alone. The rest of the world is equally endowed with immaculate beauty. Someone presented me with a book depicting the heavenly beauty of the South African landscape. Simply magnificent!

Our earth is so pretty. All of its continents. Beautiful mountains, valleys, ravines. Unspoiled fauna. Evergreen forests. Picturesque snow-covered Alps. Pristine rivers and streams. Lovely animals and fishes. The list is long and endless.

Then people. People of all races. The air. The ambience. Sometimes it takes my breath away. An inexplicable feeling grips me. The unfathomable feeling of elation. Ecstasy.

Reminds me of Heaven. How will Heaven be? No eye has seen, no ear has heard, neither has man fathomed how beautiful Heaven is, the Bible says in 1st Corinthians 2:9.

I have never been to Heaven but I know and believe it is such a wonderful place beyond description. I have been to several places and seen how beautiful they are. I have had such inexplicable joy on certain occasions. One that I recall vividly is when I welcomed Jesus into my heart. I leaped for joy as I was enfolded with His love. I knew no bitterness, no hatred. Only love, peace and joy beyond human understanding.

Now, if this world which is inhabited by sinful people can bear such wonderful beauty, and if I can sense that marvelous feeling on planet earth, can you imagine how tremendously beautiful Heaven is and how we are going to feel when we get there?

Have you ever been really happy at some stage in your life? What brought you that particular happiness? Wouldn't it be great if you felt that ecstatic everyday, granted that all manner of boredom was eradicated from your life?

Have you ever been on a roller coaster and been thrilled to pieces? That was a stomach churning, eye-popping, and spine tingling experience. If you are like most people, then you'd certainly want to do it over and over again.

Did you know that in Heaven we'd not need cars. There's no gravitational pull over there.

I believe that every single joyful experience we have here on earth is like a drop in the ocean in comparison to the joy awaiting us in Heaven. If you're like me, then you certainly like some of those cool, two-door sport cars. They cruise and they look really spiffy.

In Heaven, you won't need loads of money to rocket at top speed. Just speak the word and you'll be flying from one galaxy to another.

Joy comes to all who wait. I believe Heaven will be one big, endless ball of a Party. I was watching the previews to the Oscars the other day and saw the expressions on the faces of nominees and former winners. They all said they were awed by the sheer magnitude of these awards. Millions if not billions would be glued to their TVs to view their idols parade those elaborately and lavishly laid carpets receiving awards and hobnobbing with their peers. Reporters from around the world converged in Hollywood to cover the event and beam images back to viewers in their homelands.

Undoubtedly, the Academy Awards are a grand occasion and those actors and actresses have every reason to shed tears of joy to see their works appraised positively by their industry gurus, their peers, the media and their followers.

That reminds me of what a great Reunion we will have on that day when we all get to Heaven. Loved ones and friends we lost through death will approach us in their glorified bodies. Oh, it'll be such a glorious Get-together, and that's for sure.

Like the Oscars, let me attempt to give you a preview of the real event. But note that any attempt I make here pales in comparison to the real thing.

Since gardens, parks and forests are beloved by us all, I'd like to describe one garden in Heaven. The garden is breathtaking. It's not only filled with trees and flowers but also the living water. The grass is crisp, cool, brilliant green and alive. Its colors are intense. When light strikes an object, it reflects off that object in a certain color. Thousands of shades are possible. Light in Heaven comes from within and is a living essence. A million, a billion colors are possible.

The flowers are so vivid and luminescent with color that they don't seem to be solid. Every minute part of a flower is filled with its own life and can be reorganized with other elements to create anything in existence.

A beautiful river runs through the garden. It is fed by a large cascading waterfall of the purest water, and from there it fed into a pond. The water dazzles with its clarity and life. The water is life too. A melody of majestic beauty carries from the waterfall and feels the garden, eventually merging with other melodies. The music comes from the water itself and each drop produces its own tone and melody which mingles and interacts with every sound and strain around it. The water praises God for its life and joy. The overall effect seems beyond the ability of any symphony or composer on planet earth. In comparison, our best music on earth sounds like a child playing a tin drum. We simply don't have the capacity to understand the vastness and strength of the music over there, let alone begin to create it.

Parks proliferate in Taipei and that's a great idea. The new Da An Forest Park is a place where whole families frolic during holidays. It's a great sight and a wonderful joy giver. But this is just a foretaste of Heaven.

But unlike Da An Park, Heaven is only for those who present themselves holy before the Almighty God. God wants us all, His children, to dwell with Him in everlasting bliss. But there a door ticket that you and I can get for free. This ticket is His Son, Jesus Christ.

In other words, you and I can have access to Heaven and start to enjoy right here and now by letting Jesus become our friend. How do we do that? It's simple: We thank God for His goodness, for creating us and giving us everything we ever needed to survive: eyes to see with, legs to walk with, tongue to speak with, good health, and everything that really matters. That's a good start. How many times have you appreciated your parents? In fact, why do you call them parents? Why do you love them in the first place? It's because they first loved you. It's that simple.

God first loved you. He created the world for you, long before you were born. The whole wide world for you to explore. Then he gave you life itself, which is more precious than silver, more costly than gold, more beautiful than diamond. Then as if that weren't enough, He sent His Son Jesus to be the way, the truth and the light for you to follow. Then His Spirit to guide and comfort you.

You have every reason to be thankful. So start by thanking Him. Then ask Him to give you peace, love and joy through His Son Jesus. You'll then experience His love, peace and joy as you resolve to follow Him. And you'll know real joy, life's meaning and feel as ecstatic as I do on most occasions. Then you'll also know for sure how beautiful Heaven is and desperately want to be part of it forever.

Call me when you start feeling the real Joie de Vivre. And oh, do read all of Revelations 21.

Paul LeJOY