Precious In His Sight

I don’t necessarily agree with some of the Amish or Mennonite’s religious beliefs, ways of life or choices and they probably don’t agree with some of mine, but isn’t that the beauty of life?

We don’t have to always agree to appreciate our differences and our similarities.  What I can tell you is the Amish and Mennonite’s are some of the kindest people I have ever met.  They love their neighbors well.  They love me well when I am visiting my grandson.

There is something to be said about their simplistic way of life.  They stand up for what they believe and raise their children in their beliefs.  Their mother’s grieve the death of their children, their father’s desire a better life for their families.  They experience great joy and great hardship.  They hope, they dream, they despair.

They too are created in God’s image.  We can all learn something from each other if we are willing to lay down our prejudices, preconceived ideas and fear that our differences might taint us in some way. 

I’m just going to set this down right here.  I don’t think heaven looks like clones of you and me.  I don’t heaven looks like a bunch of buttoned up, perfect people, that try to portray a perfect “christian” image.

In fact in Revelations Chapter 4 it says “After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven... and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads...Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal”.  Revelations Chapter 21:18-21 says “The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.  The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.”

Can you see all the beautiful colors?  The image steals my breath much like a beautiful sunrise or sunset.  Each one of the stones in heaven are made up of different elements, colors and shapes.  They were formed under different pressures and temperatures. They are made up of different minerals and in many cases they are unearthed from the earth’s crust in different geographic parts of the world.  They each serve a different purpose yet, they all form one heaven.

God evidently loves color and he created each of us in his image full of color.  As individual as each grain of sand and every snow flake.  

I sit here in a puddle of gratitude for the kaleidoscope of friends God has gifted me with.  We are different ethnicities, different cultures, different beliefs, different religions, different upbringings, different heartaches and different joys but we make up the most beautiful picture of heaven.  We are each precious in his sight.  

That includes you friend.

Much Love,

Chrissy