There was a painting hanging on the wall in my Sunday School class when I was a little girl some (many) years ago. It was of Jesus with “all the little children” around Him. They were all outside and Jesus was sitting as the kids gathered around him. As I look back on that painting today, and similar paintings, Jesus is obviously sitting on a rock. Of course it’s a rock. But not for the last 30 + years, to me. Until I recently found the picture again, I always thought Jesus was sitting on a log. That’s probably because where I am from there aren’t a lot of rocks. There are logs. There are so many logs! It’s even nicknamed the “Pineywoods” around here.
As I grew and experienced death close to me I would imagine sitting on the log in Heaven and visiting with my loved ones. I would imagine sitting on the log and talking to Jonah, “So, some translations call it a whale and others say a big fish. Was it a megladon? Was it a giant squid or perhaps a giant clam and it came out as fish because they probably all smell gross like fish, right? I bet you listened to God after that didn’t you? Who doesn’t want to go to Ninevah? That sounds cool. Were you related to doubting Thomas?…” Every time I imagine talking to someone in Heaven I am sitting on that silly log!
I’ve spent my entire life imagining Heaven and every time I do I see that log (that was really a rock). Elijah and the Apostle John have tasted Heaven and written about their experiences. Check out II Kings 2:1-12 for Elijah’s information. We can read Revelation 21:10-27 to learn John’s account of it. Regardless of what I read about Heaven I am brought back to 1 Corinthians 2:9 every time. Its tells us, “However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him.”
Just yesterday, again, I thought about someone I wanted to talk to and we were sitting on that log! Somewhere, up top, I know there likely aren’t any logs because just a log on the ground would signify death of a tree and there is no death in Heaven. How horrid to die and cross over to…the Pineywoods. So, eh…I need the log to go.
The reality is, our minds can’t capture Heaven on this side of it. You won’t find it on a painting hanging in a Sunday School class or museum. It’s not in the illustrations of the most beautiful Bible you can purchase. It’s not painted on the ceilings of any cathedral or any caves, for that matter. It’s just not here. But it’s there…ready for those who have surrendered their hearts to Jesus to enter. As the song goes, “I Can Only Imagine.” ♥
JP/Grace and Pink
Here are a few resources you might be interested in, if you’d like to study more about Heaven. Like I said above, no one– not even Hollywood or a best selling author– can accurately describe Heaven for us. With that being said, Chip Ingram has deeply studied what the BIBLE says about Heaven and points those things out in his study. ’90 Minutes in Heaven’ is based on a true story, and you will hear this man tell his personal story of dying in a car accident and coming back to life. I’ve personally read/watched the following and have been student in a study on ‘Heaven: It’s Not What You Think’. The Amazon links are affiliated links. Feel free to bypass my links to get to the good stuff. Although it’s always nice to have a little income, commission is not my mission.
Heaven: It’s Not What You Think by Chip Ingram- Audio
Heaven: It’s Not What You Think by Chip Ingram- Book
I Can Only Imagine by Mercy Me – Digital Audio Download
Grace and Pink 
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