If Heaven is such a wonderful place, why are most of us reluctant to get there? C.S. Lewis called this place where we live The Shadowlands. He meant, I guess, that this world is only a shadow of the world to come. Shadows are fleeting, unsubstantial and veiled. If that's this place, imagine how crisp and alive we'll feel over there. Or, to coin the popular song, "I can only imagine." Of course I sing it, "I can't even imagine." Because, frankly, I can't. And that's kind of the beauty of heaven. It's beyond imagination.

Many people have faith that they will live forever. This is indeed promised to followers of Christ. They are not afraid to start their eternal life, yet they are afraid of dying. I've read this many places, that the fear of dying scares us to death. I'm not joking, I'm serious. I guess we're scared because we've never done it and also we're afraid that it will hurt. I am. And we've never lived on The Other Side, so it's beyond impossible to imagine. Popular fiction such as The Lovely Bones don't help. (In that book the protaganist haunts this world, trying to send messages back to her loved ones, and is very reluctant to go on to Heaven. That book will mess you up for sure. And the movie? Forget about seeing that!)

J.M. Barrie writes in Peter Pan, "To die will be an awfully big adventure." I agree. I cling to that thought. I can even get excited about the Big Adventure. I can't imagine it, exactly, but I wholeheartedly Believe.