Heaven

Stevie G recently blogged about heaven and it got me thinking. I do occasionally think about heaven and often, it worries me. However difficult life on earth is, it is familiar and there are very lovely aspects of it. The thought of leaving in order to "go somewhere else" and "do somthing else" fills me with an uncertainty and fear. Fear of the unknown is understandable: death and what happens afterwards is a mystery, it's quite natural to feel apprehensive. We will (usually) only experience it once and it'll be a one way ticket. But God assures us that heaven is a great thing:

Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away

Revelation 21: 3-5
An experience of our existance without pain or tears sounds like a better version of what we have now. Run through the fields and the nettles won't sting you. Get to the shop before it closes. Eat oysters without being sick. All the things that make our experience of earth troublesome will be wiped away.

Or will it? Those in the know seem to be quite keen to tell us that heaven will be a completely different experience to what we currently know. That heaven is the irresistible opportunity for us to worship God for eternity. I'm guessing that this is where I start going off the idea. However much I enjoy being in the presence of God, the thought of singing worship songs and hymns for all eternity just doesn't do it for me. My earthly experince is of distractions, my throat starting to feel sore, feeling fidgety, not liking certain phraseology in songs, wanting to sit down. But of course I now know that those distractions will have been wiped away. Constant singing that God is wonderful because I will be in His presence and I won't be able to help but sing praises to him is how it will be.
Hmm, no wonder I'm not able to sell this brand "Christianity" if that's what I'm offering! WHich is why I do like to think of a new improved earth type of heaven and I think there are several bible passages that hint at that. Here in Isaiah, we are told that we may have the option of heaven or earth:

Behold, I will create
new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind.

Isaiah 65:17
But the imagery that I like the most is that concerning living in the house of God. In my mind it isn't just a picture, but we are quite emphatically told "If it wasn't like this, then I wouldn't say it!".
"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. John 14: 1-3
So here's to living in God's house. There are so many rooms to explore and discover and maybe one day. I'll get to look round the garden too! Now that's a heaven I look forward to being a part of!